T. NashipaeOkello shines as Lionesses book Africa Women's 7s final spot
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 15.10.23. | 14:29
Mwanja's charges have successfully cruised to the final and will lock horns with South Africa.
Kenya 7s women's national team; Lionesses defied the energy-snapping temperatures in Monastir, Tunisia to see off their East African neighbours Uganda Lady Cranes 27-0 in the Africa Women's 7s semifinals that happened on Saturday, 15 October.
The hard-hitting Lionesses were coming from an impressive group stage performance where they defeated Zambia 27-0, and heaped a 41-0 misery on Ghana, before surviving determined Madagascar 20-17 to proceed to the semifinals.
Despite the noisy Ugandan fanbase, the fierce ladies started off on a high, showcasing speed in rucks, quick passes, attacks, and beautiful set pieces that proved difficult for their Ugandan opponents.
Into the finals they go!
— Ochieng' Stephen (@soo_ochieng) October 15, 2023
The Kenya Lionesses are only one match away from qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics for a third consecutive time.
They beat Uganda 27-0 and face South Africa in the final with the winners booking the single ticket available🇰🇪#KenyaLionesses pic.twitter.com/z4bBTEQE4B
They controlled the game early, and in the first minute, it was Janet Okello going over the whitewash to open the scoresheets. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
The opening try only motivated the hungry Lionesses who were now piling pressure on the Ugandans and holding them in their danger zone. Lady Cranes could not withstand the pressure, and soon it was Okello again flooring the opponents' defense as she raced over for the second try of the game. The conversion went wide.
Scrum-half Judith Auma was fast in attacks and decision-making in the rucks, adding Lionesses a bonus over the visibly struggling Lady Cranes. Their organization and controlled play continued to demotivate their opponents, and Okello did not hesitate to add one more try under her name.
This time, skipper Grace Adhiambo managed the conversion that silenced the noisy Ugandan fanbase before halftime.
In the closing half, the Lionesses came back even stronger to score two more unconverted tries. Minutes into this half, Mwamba RFC playmaker Naomi Amuguni caught the Cranes' defense napping, and she was off with her first try of the tournament, and the fourth one for the resilient Lionesses.
Skipper Adhiambo then managed an intercept, and she quickly set up speedster Sharon Auma for the final try of the match.
With that performance, Dennis Mwanja's charges have successfully cruised to the Africa Women's 7s final and will lock horns with South Africa.
The final will be a repeat of the Africa Men's 7s final in Zimbabwe where Kenya Shujaa humbled South Africa 17-12 to book a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
