- The Kenya 7s enjoyed a successful year under head coach Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua
The Kenya men’s rugby 7s team, Shujaa, had one of their best years yet.
From dominating the Challenger Series to securing a spot in their third consecutive Olympic Games, Shujaa enjoyed a successful year under the watch of head coach Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua who guided them to earning promotion back to the HSBC SVNS Series at the first time of asking.
They also secured two sponsorships from leading online gaming firm SportPesa and M-Pesa, placing them among one of the most heavily funded teams in Kenya.
On May 21, 2023, the Kenya national team was relegated from the World rugby Series after finishing in 13th place.
As a result, they were forced to compete in the World Challenger Series in 2024, which took place over three rounds from January to May, serving as a gateway to the main stage – the SVNS Series.
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Kenya 7s resurgence in SVNS Series
Their journey back began in January during the Dubai Challenger Series, held from January 12-14 this year. Desperately, Wambua’s charges kicked off their campaign with a massive 41-0 win against Mexico.
This was followed by another 29-7 triumph against Uganda securing a spot in the quarterfinals despite losing 12-24 against Germany in the last pool match.
Kenya then beat Japan and Uruguay on their way to clinching the title and making their statement of intent after beating Chile 12-5 in the final to collect 20 points.
Their focus then shifted to Uruguay. However, they narrowly missed the final in the second leg held in March, finishing third with 36 points overall after beating Chile 31-12 in the third-place play-off to collect 16 points.
A fifth-place finish would follow in the last outing of the Challenger Series held in Munich in May.
Although Kenya missed the semifinals in Germany, they finished second overall in the Challenger competition with 48 points after the three rounds.
This result earned them a spot in the Madrid Playoffs, where they had to finish in the top four. They delivered, beating Germany 33-15 and securing their return to the most prestigious stage in the world of rugby.
Wambua leads Shujaa in the Paris 2024 Olympics
After dominating the Challenger and returning to the HSBC World Series, Wambua began preparing his team for their third appearance in the Paris 2024 Olympics, following their victory over South Africa in the Africa Sevens tournament in Zimbabwe.
However, in Paris, things did not go as smoothly as in the Challenger. In the group stage, they were knocked out of the tournament after losing their first match to Australia 21-7, followed by a 31-12 defeat to Argentina. They were then crushed by Samoa in their final group match, losing 26-0 in Pool B.
Shujaa finished ninth after beating Uruguay 19-14 in their final match. This was their third Olympic appearance after previously falling short in 2016 and 2020.
Shujaa wins third consecutive Safari 7s title
After France, Shujaa shifted focus to the Safari Sevens in August, a tournament that experienced a first as it was held for the first time outside Nairobi at the Kenyatta Stadium in Machakos.
Shujaa clinched the title for the third consecutive time, defeating Shogun (formerly known as Samurai) 12-0 in the finals. This tournament also served as preparation for the HSBC Series.
Shujaa win big from SportPesa and Safaricom
Before heading to the Dubai Series, Kenya’s leading gaming firm SportPesa renewed their sponsorship deal with the team. SportPesa CEO, Hon. Ronald Karauri, unveiled the details of a two-year sponsorship worth KSh 84.15 million on November 13, 2024.
This deal marked a significant increase from the previous season’s KSh 22 million, with KSh 33 million allocated for the 2024/2025 season and KSh 49.15 million for 2025/2026.
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A week later, Shujaa received further support from Safaricom through its global brand, M-PESA, which announced a two-year sponsorship deal worth KSh 90 million on November 25.
Despite the challenges caused by contract issues that had hindered training, the Kenya Rugby Union managed to resolve the situation, and the players returned to training for the Rugby Series.
Kenya 7s players miss one week training over contract delays from Kenya Rugby Union
Dubai 7s 2024
With everything in place, the highly anticipated Dubai Series kicked off on November 30 and ran through December 1.
At Sevens Stadium, Shujaa began their campaign with a loss to France, 24-19 in extra time, after drawing 19-19 in regulation. In Pool A, where they faced the 2023 Dubai Series winners, South Africa, they stunned them with a 22-17 victory. However, they were defeated by Australia 31-14 in their final pool match.
Shujaa secured a place in the ninth-place playoffs after defeating Ireland 21-7. However, they fell short in the playoffs, losing to Uruguay 15-7, and finished in 10th place in Dubai with three points.
Cape Town 7s 2024
Wambua then made adjustments to his team, ensuring they did not repeat the mistakes made in Dubai, as they had only six days to prepare for the Cape Town Sevens the following weekend.
Starting their campaign in South Africa on December 8, 2024, Shujaa sought revenge against Australia, defeating them 19-12 in their first match.
They lost to Spain 14-7 in the second match but regrouped to win 32-17 against Great Britain in the seventh-place playoffs, improving their position from the Dubai Series.
After both legs, Shujaa finished in ninth place with 11 points, needing to secure a spot in the top eight to avoid relegation from the World Series.
Here are the next stages for the 2024-25 HSBC Sevens World Series
- Leg 3: Australia
Stadium: HBF Park
City: Perth
Dates: January 24-26, 2025 - Leg 4: Canada
Stadium: BC Place
City: Vancouver
Dates: February 21-23, 2025 - Leg 5: Hong Kong
Stadium: Kai Tak Stadium
City: Hong Kong
Dates: March 28-30, 2025 - Leg 6: Singapore
Stadium: Singapore National Stadium
City: Singapore
Dates: April 5-6, 2025 - Leg 7: United States
Stadium: Dignity Health Sports Park
City: Los Angeles
Dates: May 3-4, 2025
