Omondi backs Shujaa to shine in Dubai as hunt for promotion starts

Shujaa captain Tony Omondi has backed the team to garner good results in the World Rugby HSBC Challenger 2024 series slated for January 12–14 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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.

Shujaa will be looking to make this year count, following their qualification to the Paris 2024 Olympics in September 2024. The team will also be keen on returning to the HSBC World Rugby 7s Series.

The team was relegated from the series following a 12-7 playoff final loss to Canada at Twickenham Stadium, London, on May 21, 2023.

The defeat meant the Kenyans lost their status as a core team in international rugby’s elite sevens series for the first time in two decades. They will be eager to mark another milestone this year by returning to the series.

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Speaking on their qualification to the Olympics, Omondi noted that it was a dream come true, but returning to the series would be a major milestone for them.

“It feels amazing to have led the team in qualifying for the Olympics. It is the pinnacle of sports in the world, so playing in the Olympics is a dream for every athlete.

“The Olympics are a big plus for us, but we all know we fell short of playing in the SVNS series this year, and the goal is to get back into the series with the current crop of players that we have. I believe that is possible. Preparations have gone well. We know that to get back on the series, we have to finish in the top four, which is the motive," he offered.

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Kenya Lionesses, too, will be looking to shine in the tournament.

Coach Dennis Mwanja pointed out that the squad is a mixture of experience, impressive form, and a sense of maturity on the field.

He further noted that the young and vintage players had seamlessly blended, setting them up for exciting matches ahead.

"In assembling our squad, we considered a blend of experience, current form, and maturity on the field. Striking a delicate balance between youthful vigor, seasoned expertise, and leadership qualities was paramount," Mwanja offered.

There is more to play for than ever in this year’s Challenger, with the competition expanding to three rounds and the top four placed men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the new promotion and relegation play-off competition at the HSBC SVNS 2024 Grand Final in Madrid.

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

The top two from each pool as well as the two best third-place 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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The pool draw, which took place in December during the HSBC SVNS 2024 opening round at the same venue in Dubai, produced some exciting match-ups.

Three teams in the men’s competition—Uruguay, Japan, and Kenya—have already booked their places at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, and they headline Pools A, B, and C, respectively.

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All teams qualified for the Challenger 2024 through regional competitions.

Fans around the globe can watch all the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger action from Dubai live on RugbyPass.TV

Men’s pools:

Pool A: Uruguay, Hong Kong China, Papua New Guinea, Georgia

Pool B: Japan, Tonga, Chile, Portugal

Pool C: Kenya, Germany, Uganda, Mexico

Women’s pools:

Pool A: Belgium, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Uganda

Pool B: China, Czechia, Mexico, Kenya

Pool C: Poland, Hong Kong China, Paraguay, Argentina

HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2024 dates:

Dubai, UAE – 12-14 January (men and women)

Montevideo, Uruguay – 8-10 March (men and women)

Krakow, Poland - 18-19 May (women)

Munich, Germany –18-19 May (men)