Silver for Lionesses as Rugby Africa Women’s 7s concludes

Kenya Lionesses ended their 2024 Rugby Africa Women’s 7s campaign at position two after going down 17-10 to South Africa in a closely contested match played on Sunday 10 November in Accra, Ghana.

Despite that, the Kenyan ladies have qualified for the 2025 Challenger Series.

Both teams showcased determination from the start, with early tries exchanged to leave the score tied at 5-5 by halftime.

The second half opened with Kenya capitalizing on a South African infringement. A series of well-coordinated passes led the ball to Sharon Auma, who powered through for Kenya’s second try. Unfortunately, the conversion attempt fell short, keeping Kenya narrowly ahead.

However, South Africa regained momentum, maintaining possession as Zintle Mpupha broke through Kenya's defense, setting up speedster Jacobs for another South African try.

With tensions high, a hard tackle from Mpupha temporarily sidelined her, reducing South Africa to six players. Despite this advantage, Kenya could not convert it into points.

NSL Wrap: Luanda Villa hit Muhoroni for seven as Nairobi United, Gogo pick important wins

Instead, South Africa turned the tables with a quick intercept, racing down the field to score the decisive try.

The conversion attempt missed, but South Africa’s lead held as the final whistle blew, securing them a 17-10 victory.

The Kenyans started the tournament with an encouraging 61-0 victory over Mauritius before seeing off hosts Ghana 10-5 in the closely contested second pool match. They ended their pool campaign with a 27-22 victory over Madagascar to proceed to the quarterfinal stage.

At this stage, the hard-hitting Lionesses confirmed their dominance over hosts Ghana with a 48-0 victory to book a semifinal slot. They defeated Uganda 19-0 to set up a crunch final against South Africa.

The match against South Africa was a repeat of the 2023 Rugby Africa Women’s 7s final, in which the South Africans edged the Lionesses 12-7. The result saw the Lionesses miss a direct Olympic slot.