- The Kenya Lionesses suffered a 22-10 loss in the hands of South Africa in the semifinal of the third leg of the World Rugby HSBC Challenger Series semifinal.
- South Africa will face Argentina in the final of the third leg Challenger Series later today.
- Despite the painful defeat, Lionesses have already booked a slot in the upcoming HSBC SVNS play-off that will take place in May.
The Kenya Lionesses were hammered 22-10 by rivals South Africa in the main cup semifinal at the ongoing third leg of the 2025 World Rugby HSBC Challenger Series in Krakow, Poland.
South Africa opened the scoring with less than four minutes remaining to the end of the first half via Ayanda Malinga. The lead increased to 7-0 after a successful conversion.
South Africa dominate the Kenya Lionesses
After the score, the Lionesses struggled to get out of their half due to the relentless pressure that their African opponents put on them.
South Africa’s pressure eventually forced Kenya to make an error leading to their second try of the day.
The South Africans continued with their dominance in the second half and immediately scored the third try shortly after the restart via Nadine Ross to increase their lead to 17-0.
Kenya’s situation got worse when South Africa, who took part in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, scored another try to bring their tally to 22-0.
Kenya Lionesses with two quick tries
However, a late strong show from the Lionesses ensured they scored two quick tries but it was to late for them to bounce back, resulting in a 22-10 defeat.
The win guaranteed South Africa a place in the final that is scheduled to take place later today in the same venue where they will face Argentina while Kenya will secured it out with Thailand in a tie that will decide which nation finishes third in Krakow.
The Argentines narrowly squeezed past Thailand with a 21-20 victory in the first same final of the today.
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The Lionesses traveled to Krakow for the final round of the Challenger Series with the titles for the first and second legs already in the bag.
The team, which has shown immense improvement under the tutelage of former Shujaa player Dennis Mwanja, hammered Argentina 17-12 in the final of the first leg that took place at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.
After that victory, the Lionesses roared past South Africa with a huge 17-0 score line in the final of the second leg that also took place in South Africa.
Kenya Lionesses shift focus to HSBC SVNS play-off
The focus of the Kenya Lionesses technical bench and the players will shift to the much awaited HSBC SVNS play-off that is planned to take place in Los Angeles, United States from May 2 to May 4.
In Los Angeles, the Lionesses only need to finish inside the top four positions to book a ticket to the prestigious HSBC SVNS series.
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