Kenya Sevens off to a losing start in Los Angeles Promotion/Relegation Playoffs
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 03.05.25. | 22:23
The match rekindled memories of the Paris Olympics meeting in July 2024, where the Pacific Islanders cruised to a 26-0 victory to knock Kenya out of gold contention
Kenya Sevens men's national team, Shujaa, started their Los Angeles Promotion/Relegation Playoffs on the wrong footing after going down 19-12 in a match played on Saturday, 3 May at the Dignity Health Sports Park.
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The match rekindled memories of the Paris Olympics meeting in July 2024, where the Pacific Islanders cruised to a 26-0 victory to knock Kenya out of gold contention.
The Kenyans were out for revenge, while Samoa were determined to extend their unbeaten streak.
Samoa hit the ground running with a fluid start, slicing through Kenya’s defence in the opening minutes.
Owen Niue completed a well-worked move with the game’s first try, and Kirisimasi Savaiinaea added the extras to give Samoa an early 7-0 lead.
The momentum remained firmly with the Samoans as Tila Mealoi took advantage of a defensive lapse to touch down for their second try, stretching the gap further.
Despite the early blows, Shujaa showed grit. Kenya began asserting pressure, and their efforts bore fruit when rising star Nygel Amaitsa darted over the whitewash to open Kenya’s account.
He calmly converted his own try, narrowing the deficit to 12-7 at halftime.
However, Samoa came out firing in the second half. Motu Opetai powered through Kenya’s line to score their third try of the match, converting it himself to push the lead to 19-7.
With Kenya struggling to retain possession. They had only touched the ball by the 10th minute of the half, opportunities were few and far between.
Samoa’s precise offloads and clinical line breaks kept them on the front foot.
But Shujaa had one more moment to cheer as Amaitsa showcased his promise with a second try. The conversion, however, missed the mark, and the Kenyans remained seven points adrift.
That was as close as it got. Samoa held firm to seal another victory over Kenya, leaving Shujaa with work to do ahead of their remaining pool matches.
Kenya will look to bounce back when they take on Portugal on Sunday, 4 May at 12:51 am, before wrapping up their pool campaign against the USA at 9:28 pm.
