KRU seals deal with international brand ahead of Challenger Series

The Kenya Rugby Union has announced a partnership with an internationally renowned brand; Umbro as the national teams gear up for the Challenger Series journey in Dubai from January 12, 2024.

The Challenger Series is the pathway teams use to qualify for the World Seven Series and will be played in Dubai, Munich, and Madrid in the first part of next year.

Umbro, an English sports equipment manufacturer, is set to become the new kit partner for the national teams.

Umbro replaces BLK, which has been the official kit supplier since 2020.

Speaking on the latest development, KRU Chairman Alexander Sasha Mutai expressed pleasure, noting that the new look will glorify Kenya's heritage on the global stage, in turn attracting more financiers for the team.

"We are well-known, and we have a new kit partner, Umbro, who has come in. We will make the announcement next week, so we now have a global partner,” he said.

“With Umbro and their global network, our jerseys will be available globally. It will be a beautifully designed jersey, incorporating our heritage. People will be happy with that jersey," Mutai offered.

At the same time, Shujaa and Lionesses have learned their opponents and playing times ahead of the challenge.

Shujaa will be starting with a face-off against Mexico at 13:14 EAT on Friday, January 12.

Following that, they will engage in a match against East African rivals Uganda at 17:58 EAT, before concluding their Pool C campaign against Germany at 12:59 EAT on Saturday, January 13, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Lionesses, participating in Pool B of the women’s competition, will kick off their campaign with a match against China at 11:36 EAT on Friday, January 12, 2024.

Subsequently, they will go head-to-head with Czechia at 15:58 EAT on the same day.

The Lionesses will wrap up their pool fixtures against Mexico at 10:59 EAT on Saturday, January 13.

About the Challenger Series

The Sevens Challenger was introduced in February 2020 to boost the development of rugby sevens globally and provide a clear promotion pathway to reach the top level of global rugby sevens.

The tournaments replicate the Olympic Games competition format, with the 12 teams drawn into three pools of four.

The top two from each and the best third-placed finishers will qualify for the knockout stages with quarter-finals and semi-finals leading to the third-place and gold medal matches.

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Japan were the inaugural men’s champions after topping the cumulative rankings from the two rounds hosted in Chile and Uruguay in 2020.

The first women’s competition was scheduled to take place in Stellenbosch in March 2020 but had to be cancelled due to the onset of the global pandemic.

Following a one-year absence, the Sevens Challenger returned in August 2022 with a standalone combined event hosted in Santiago, Chile, which saw Uruguay men and Japan women take the titles and secure promotion to the Series.