Shujaa coach Wambua impressed with team’s performance in opening legs of HSBC World Rugby 7s Series
.jpg)
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 11.12.24. | 21:39
Following that, competing teams will head to Canada from Friday 21 Sunday 23 February before the final circuit; Hong Kong 7s penciled for Friday 28 to Sunday 30 March in China
Kenya 7s national team; Shujaa returned to the HSBC World Rugby 7s series with a bang, registering impressive performances in the two legs played.
They finished tenth in Dubai 7s, a performance that mirrored their Paris Olympics performance.
They started their campaign with a narrow 24-19 loss to France but bounced back with a spirited 22-17 victory over South Africa. A 31-14 defeat to Australia in their final pool game relegated them to the ninth-place semifinals, where they outclassed Ireland 21-7.
However, Shujaa fell to Uruguay in the ninth-place playoff to finish 10th.
Despite that, they picked crucial lessons heading to the second leg.
In Cape Town, the spirited Kenya 7s kicked off with a 19-12 victory over Australia before narrowly losing 12-7 to Spain the the second pool match, denying them a semifinal slot.
They sank to seventh place playoff where they went down 26-14 to Argentina. A brilliant 32-17 victory over Great Britain saw them clinch seventh place, an improvement from their Dubai 7s campaign.
The team landed back on Monday evening.
According to coach Wambua, the two legs so far show progress but remained aware there was still more to give.
He went on to emphasize the importance of critical decision-making and clinical execution to tackle the upcoming legs.
“The team played fantastic in the first two legs and even in the games we played, we were a bit unfortunate. It goes down to a bit of decision making but we pick the lessons and look to improve. This is a young squad, most of them playing for the first time in the Series and we keep learning, keep improving, and keep getting better with each game,” Wambua stated as quoted by Asia Sports.
The former Mwamba RFC tactician also noted that minimizing errors and efficiency in their danger zones will be key to greater performance.
“One of the lessons we have picked is that we have to be ruthless and efficient, especially in the opposition half. The series is very tight and we can’t afford a lot of errors. We need to work on being more clinical to get better rewards. But we are getting better; starting with 10th then seventh shows you there is growth,” he concluded.
The Series will take a break to pave the way for the festive season before returning with the Perth Sevens slated for Saturday 24 to Sunday 25 January 2025.
Following that, competing teams will head to Canada from Friday 21 Sunday 23 February before the final circuit; Hong Kong 7s penciled for Friday 28 to Sunday 30 March in China.
