The stage for Hong Kong 7s is set, but the Kenya 7s experience in Vancouver was particularly challenging for the men’s national rugby 7s side, Shujaa, who finished in last place after losing all their games.
With fresh legs and several promising young players making their first appearance on the HSBC SVNS Series 2025, Shujaa found themselves in a tough pool alongside Argentina, France and Great Britain.
In their opening match on February 22, Shujaa suffered a 24-0 defeat against Argentina, who would go on to win the overall tournament. Later that morning, they faced France only to be thrashed 33-7.
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In their final pool match against Great Britain, Shujaa showed resilience and struck first, but ultimately lost 28-10.
Consequently, they were relegated to the ninth-place playoff where they met Uruguay. Despite their best efforts, Shujaa lost 19-14 and were then placed in the 11th-place playoff.
In a highly contested encounter, they were narrowly defeated 19-14, finishing 12th in the series.
Shujaa retain nineth place in the overall standings
Despite the setback, Shujaa still hold 9th place in the overall standings with 15 points. They earned three points in Dubai, eight points in Cape Town, three points in Perth and one point in Vancouver.
Meanwhile, Argentina secured another crucial 20 points with a 19-12 victory over South Africa, bringing their total to 68 points and leading the standings.
Spain, in excellent form this season, holds second place with 64 points, accumulated from 18, 14, 16, and 16 points in the four rounds.
Fiji are in third place with 62 points, following their 14-point haul in Vancouver. They are tied with South Africa, who finished second in Canada and earned 18 points.
France is in fifth place with 46 points, while Australia and New Zealand are tied in sixth with 38 points each.
Great Britain completes the top eight with 32 points, widening the gap between themselves and the relegation playoff zone, which is currently occupied by teams with 17 points.
Uruguay, tied with Kenya in 10th place, follows closely behind. The USA showed slight improvement in Vancouver, bringing their total to 9 points, while Ireland remains in 12th place with 7 points.
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After the frustrating outing in Canada, the national team will now regroup and rectify the tactical mistakes they made, as they have been placed in the favorable Pool C, alongside Great Britain and France, whom they faced in Canada but were unable to overcome.
Spain, who are in good form, also joins them in the group, where they will face off against each other from March 28-30, 2025, at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.
