Shujaa, Lionesses burning midnight oil in preps for Montevideo leg of HSBC SVNS 2
.jpg)
Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 06.03.26. | 17:38
Under the revamped competition format, six teams per gender compete across three events, with the top four progressing to the SVNS World Championship stage
Kenya’s national sevens teams, Shujaa and the Lionesses, are burning the midnight oil as they prepare for the second leg of the HSBC SVNS 2 set for Saturday, 21 to Sunday, 22 March in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Both squads are currently in a week-long residential training camp at the Kasarani Stadium, where the focus is on tactical refinement, physical conditioning, and strengthening team cohesion ahead of the crucial South American leg.
Follow Our WhatsApp Channel For More News
The teams are scheduled to depart for Uruguay on Sunday, 15 March, and will return to the country at the end of the month after completing their assignments.
The Kenya Lionesses will be keen to bounce back after a difficult outing during the opening leg of the series held in Nairobi, where the six-team competition saw them finish fifth with five points.
Despite the disappointing finish, the Lionesses showed flashes of promise. They opened their campaign with a narrow 15–12 victory over Brazil; their only win of the tournament.
However, the team struggled to maintain momentum thereafter. They suffered a 15–12 loss to China before falling 12–10 to South Africa in another closely fought match.
A slim 5–0 defeat to Argentina followed before Kenya concluded their campaign with a 14–5 loss to Spain.
Lionesses head coach Simon Odongo believes the team can turn things around in the upcoming legs of the series.
“Our target is clear; we want to finish in the top three in both Montevideo and São Paulo. That gives us a real opportunity to compete in the Championship playoffs, which is our ultimate goal,” Odongo said.
Shujaa, on the other hand, enjoyed a more encouraging start to the campaign during the Nairobi leg held at Nyayo National Stadium between Saturday, 14 to Sunday, 15 February.
The Kenyan men’s side finished third after registering four wins from five matches, underlining their intent to fight for a return to the elite HSBC SVNS Series.
Shujaa opened their campaign in dominant fashion with a convincing 29–12 victory over Canada before dismantling Belgium 33–0.
They then edged past Germany 15–10 in extra time in a tightly contested encounter to conclude Saturday’s action on a high.
The momentum continued into Sunday as Kenya defeated Uruguay 17–7, but their run was halted by a 21–5 defeat to the United States in their final match of the tournament.
Head coach Kevin Wambua noted that the team is fully focused on the bigger objective of returning to the top-tier series.
“The boys are sharp, focused, and ready. Our goal is to get back to the main series stage; nothing less. Every session in this camp is geared toward that objective,” Wambua said.
Under the revamped competition format, six teams per gender compete across three events, with the top four progressing to the SVNS World Championship stage.
At that stage, they will face the top eight teams from Division One in tournaments set to be held in Hong Kong, Valladolid, and Bordeaux.
