Shujaa head coach rues tough outing against Blitzboks

The men’s national rugby 7s head coach Innocent ‘Namcos’ Simiyu has rued Kenya’s missed chances against South Africa in the two legs of the just concluded 2021 Series held in Canada over the past two weekends.

With rugby powerhouses like Fiji, Australia and New Zealand sitting out of the two-legged 2021 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, Shujaa had the perfect chance of claiming a first-ever world series title in the two outings held in Canada. However, three overall losses against South Africa both in Vancouver and Edmonton ensured that the new look national team could not complete that dreamed feat.

In Vancouver, the Blitzboks beat Kenya first in the pool stages 33-14 before pipping Kenya to the Vancouver title with a 5-38 victory in the main cup finals. In Edmonton, the South African would keep their 100% record intact as they knocked Kenya out in the semis with a 7-33 win.

Overally, Kenya finished third in the 2021 Series behind winners South Africa and Great Britain after a second place and third place finish in Vancouver and Edmonton respectively amassed a 34 total points tally.

Reflecting on the two back to back legs, the former Kenyan international the areas where Kenya struggled to get going against South Africa who beat them twice in Vancouver – in the group stage and in the main cup final – and in the semis in Edmonton.

“These two weeks in Vancouver and Edmonton have been tough but exciting. We started well in Vancouver but we were quite unlucky in our execution against South Africa twice. We were unable to handle pressure especially from the kickoff, the defensive pressure and the tackle area pressure from South Africa,” the head coach remarked.

After only two legs, focus shifts to the 2022 HSBC Series where Simiyu challenged the team to build on the impressive podium finishes in both legs.

“Next step for us is to go back and train better, work harder, come up with more strategies that are simple and that can be executed under pressure. Hopefully we can build on the performances we registered,” the head coach added.

The 2022 Series will kick off in Dubai on 26-27 November, 2021 with the full schedule to be announced soon. The Series will be followed by Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England on 29-31 July 2022 and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, South Africa on 9-11 September.