The men’s national rugby 7s side, Shujaa, got the perfect start to their Safari 7s title defense as they recorded a convincing 24-12 win over Lions Rugby in their opening Pool A match in the 2024 edition of the tournament taking place at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
Shujaa took an early 5-0 lead through Patrick Odongo’s unconverted try before Brian Mutua touched down the team’s second of the game which was successfully converted by Ben Salem who stretched Shujaa’s lead to 12-0 by the half time break.
In the second half, Dennis Abukuse and William Mwanji bagged another two tries for Shujaa who were also breached twice by the Lions as the game ended 24-12 in favour of the Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua coached side.
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The result was the first defeat for Lions who secured a huge 38-0 win in their opening match against Qatar.
In other matches, Shogun Rugby, who are the guidance of former Kenya 7s head coach Mike Friday, hammered Kenya Harlequins 26-0 before beating Red Wailers 31-7.
Despite being beaten in their second match, the Red Wailers had earlier triumphed narrowly over Morans, winning 14-12.
Meanwhile, Kenya Harlequins made a great comeback in their second match of the day, stunning Uganda Cranes 10-7.
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On the other hand, the Varsity Select side did not start their campaign well, losing to Zimbabwe 21-7. However, they bounced back in their second match against Qatar, winning decisively with a score of 38-0.
On the ladies’ side, Uganda Lady Cranes started strong with a 20-5 win against Shogun, while the Kenya Cubs were disappointed after losing 36-0 to debutants Costa Blanca.
The women’s national rugby 7s side however laid a marker of intent as they thrashed Uganda Lady Cranes II 43-0 to send a warning to Uganda Lady Cranes who are the defending champions.
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Safari 7s 2024
Friday Results
Men’s Category
Shogun Rugby 26-0 Kenya Harlequins
Red Wailers 14-12 Kenya Morans
Qatar 0-38 Lions
Varsity Select 7-21 Zimbabwe
Shogun Rugby 31-7 Red Wailers
Qatar 0-38 Varsity Select
Kenya Harlequins 10-7 Uganda Sevens
Women’s Category
Shogun Ladies 5-20 Uganda Ladies
Costa Blanca 36-0 Kenya Cubs
Kenya Lionesses 43-0 Uganda Lady Cranes II
ALSO READ: SportPesa launch revolutionary Tujiamini Initiative to nurture talent
Tujiamini is an initiative that seeks to provide a platform, including up to 30M shillings in funding, for individual, team sports and various talent, in a year-long campaign that will go around the country in a move aimed at evoking the sense of pride in Kenya’s sports and talent ecosystem.
Applicants are urged to submit their applications through www.tujiamini.co.ke