Safari 7s: Shujaa, Morans sail to quarters as Lionesses, Cubs impress

Kenya's men's national rugby sevens teams, Shujaa and Morans, booked their places in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Safari 7s after impressive performances on Saturday, 11 October at the Nyayo National Stadium.

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Despite being disadvantaged by having to play three matches instead of two, Shujaa showed resilience and class to finish the group stage unbeaten.

The team’s schedule was disrupted after Friday’s floodlight failure, which forced the postponement of some matches to Saturday. Morans, on the other hand, managed one match on Friday and two on Saturday.

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Shujaa’s final match of the day against the French Renegades had fans on the edge of their seats.

Nygel Amaitsa opened the scoring with a brace before the French were reduced to six men. Patrick Odongo added another try to give Shujaa a 15–0 halftime lead.

In the second half, Festus Shiasi crossed the whitewash, followed by Jackson Siketi, who sealed the win with Shujaa’s fifth try. The match was briefly halted as a French player received medical attention.

After the match, Shujaa speedster Patrick Odongo reaffirmed their determination to retain the title they won last year after defeating Shogun Rugby 12–0.

“We’re under pressure to defend our title, but pressure is good; it pushes us to perform better. We’ve played good games so far, and we’re grateful to reach the quarters. We’re ready to defend the title,” Odongo offered.

Meanwhile, Shogun, French Renegades and KCB RFC are also through to the quarterfinals.

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Kenya Morans opened the day with a commanding 28–10 victory over Apache, their second straight win of the tournament.

Captain John Okoth set the pace with a converted try before Apache pulled one back to make it 7–5. Daniel Kipchichir extended the lead, but Apache again responded just before halftime for a 14–10 scoreline.

In the second half, Clinton Amukwachi and Rayvone Ambale sealed the result with two converted tries, confirming a comfortable win for the youthful Kenyan side.

Elsewhere, Zimbabwe made it two wins in a row after overcoming ReUnion 26–19, maintaining their strong form from Day One, where they had defeated Apache 33–17.

Shogun Rugby also proved too strong for Nyati, handing them their first loss of the tournament with a 26–12 victory.

KCB Rugby, the 2025 National Sevens Circuit champions, bounced back from their opening loss to Shogun with a dominant 40–12 win over Uganda.

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Tries from Michael Wekesa, Austin Sikutwa, Branton Lusisa, and Bramwel Kilwake, all backed by Brian Wahinya’s conversions, ensured a strong finish for the Bankers.

In another pool clash, French Renegades finally picked up their first win, defeating Walukuba Rugby 38–21 in a lively contest.

Defending champions Shujaa also closed out their second-round fixture in style, edging UK Select 28–19 in an entertaining battle.

Patrick Odongo and Nygel Amaitsa gave Shujaa a 14–0 halftime lead before UK Select clawed back with two tries to narrow the gap to 14–12.

Substitute Floyd Wabwire then made an instant impact, scoring two successive tries, both converted, to restore control. UK Select grabbed a late consolation, but Shujaa held firm to remain unbeaten.

2025 Safari 7s Men’s Results

Day 1

Kenya Morans 24–00 ReUnion

Zimbabwe 33–17 Apache

Shogun 17–14 KCB Rugby

Rescheduled Matches

Uganda 12–24 Nyati

French Renegades 21–28 UK Select

Kenya Shujaa 55–0 Walukuba Rugby

Round 2

Kenya Morans 28–10 Apache

Zimbabwe 26–19 ReUnion

Shogun 26–12 Nyati

Uganda 12–40 KCB Rugby

French Renegades 38–21 Walukuba Rugby

Kenya Shujaa 28–19 UK Select

Round 3

Apache 7–14 ReUnion

Nyati 7–21 KCB Rugby

UK Select 41–26 Walukuba Rugby

Morans 27–7 Zimbabwe

Shogun 35–14 Uganda

Shujaa 20–0 French Renegades