- Tony Omondi was not included in the Shujaa squad that featured in the Emirates Dubai 7s due to contract related issues.
- He is set to replace Chrisant Ojwang, who picked up an injury over the weekend, ahead of the upcoming Cape Town 7s.
- Shujaa head coach Kevin Wambua has praised his players for the encouraging performances they displayed in Dubai.
The Kenya national rugby sevens star Tony Omondi is set to return to the squad ahead of the upcoming Cape Town 7s scheduled to be held in South Africa.
In an exclusive interview with SportPesa Blog, a high profile member of the Shujaa camp divulged that the talented half-back will replace Chrisant Ojwang, who picked up an injury in the Emirates Dubai 7s over the weekend.
Omondi, who co-captained Shujaa in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games several months ago, was not initially included in the HSBC SVNS squad due to contract-related issues.
However, the player and the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) management were on the verge of striking an agreement at the time when this article was written.
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Meanwhile, the team’s head coach Kevin Wambua has confirmed that Ojwang will not take long before he returns to action.
“We actually thought he fractured his ankle but Lameck (Shujaa medical officer) apparently says it is not that serious the way it looks. Yes, he requires some surgery but he will be up and running soon.
So, it is not as serious as we thought it was. So, our priority is to make sure that even as early as today he gets his surgery done so that he can start his rehabilitation,” explained Wambua.
The former Kenya Lionesses tactician also took time to appreciate the encouraging performances that his charges displayed in the first leg of the series.
According to Wambua, the players did a marvelous job despite having very limited experience at the HSBC SVNS stage.
“Well, I am very proud of the boys. We told ourselves that we are going to be brave and we are going to take ownership in this team. And the way the boys played, having eight new boys in the squad, I mean, you couldn’t even tell that we were that inexperienced.
So, for me, it is very positive, two wins, three loses, not really what we wanted but for us it is important that we pick up the points that we can at the moment because we know every point is important at this stage,” he stated.
Shujaa will be seeking to collect more points in the Cape Town 7s which is scheduled to be held between December 7 and December 8.
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The team has been grouped in Pool B alongside Australia and a strong Spanish side that was beaten 19-5 by Fiji in the Dubai 7s final.
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