Shujaa dazzle in day one of second Dubai tournament

Kenya men’s national team Shujaa put in an impeccable display in day one action of the Emirates Invitational Sevens second tournament that kicked off today.

Kenya upstaged neighbouring Uganda in the first match of the second edition of the double header tournament, beating them 28-10 to clearly make the team’s intentions known. Vincent Onyala touched down twice as Jacob Ojee and Billy Odhiambo crossed the whitewash once to help Kenya to a 28-10 win in the opening game that witnessed all four tries successfully converted.

Against Canada in match two, Onyala continued from where he had left in the first match as he scored two tries for Kenya yet again. The third try added by Jacob Ojee who got on the scoring sheets for the first time in tournament two to see off the Canadians 21-10.

Looking to end the day on a flyer, Shujaa faced the prospect of overcoming Spain to ensure a blameless first day outing. With momentum in their favor, the Innocent Simiyu-led team did just that, grabbing the first half lead through quick tries from Jacob Ojee and Willy Ambaka before Spain scored one for a 12-7 half time score. Shortly after the half time interval, Spain took the lead for the first time of the game after clever play prised open the Shujaa backline. Minutes later, Alvin Otieno would restore the lead after darting past the Spaniards and over the whitewash to make it 17-14 - that being the final result of the game.

On the other hand, Shujaa’s female counterparts, Kenya Lionesses had a very rough day in office, succumbing to two defeats and managing one draw in three games. Canada and France beat Lionesses 22-5 and 31-5 respectively before the Felix Oloo-coached side drew 10-10 with Japan in their final encounter in day one.