- Kenya Morans settled for fourth place in the 2025 Rugby Africa 7s Cup, held at the Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mauritius.
- They suffered a narrow 19-21 defeat to Zimbabwe in the third-place playoff, following a dramatic second-half comeback by the Zimbabweans.
- South Africa were crowned champions of the 2025 Rugby Africa Men’s 7s Cup after defeating Madagascar 28–12 in the main cup final.
The Kenya Morans once again let a commanding lead slip through their fingers, suffering a narrow 19-21 defeat to Zimbabwe in the third-place playoff of the 2025 Rugby Africa Men’s 7s Cup.
The contest, held on Sunday June 22, at the Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mauritius, saw Kenya settle for a fourth-place finish.
Reeling from a heart-wrenching 12-14 loss to Madagascar in the semifinals, the Morans made an electric start.
Co-captain Chrisant Ojwang drew first blood, diving over in the right corner for an early five-point advantage. Unfortunately, Jackson Siketi’s conversion attempt veered wide.
Just a minute later, Kenya doubled their tally. Dennis Abukuse powered over the try line, and Siketi added the extras to extend the lead to 12-0.
Menengai Oilers standout Abukuse appeared to have notched his second try of the match and what would have been a brace but it was disallowed after he stepped out of bounds.
Nevertheless, Kenya maintained control, holding a 12-0 advantage.
Zimbabwe responded in the second half, narrowing the gap to 12-7 immediately after the restart.
Refusing to be denied, Abukuse returned with another scintillating run, slicing through the Zimbabwean defence to register his fourth try of the tournament. Siketi’s successful conversion pushed Kenya’s lead to 19-7.
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However, the tide shifted dramatically in the latter stages of the match. Zimbabwe mounted a stunning comeback, scoring two quick tries and successfully converting one to snatch a 21-19 lead in the dying moments.
A lapse in Kenya’s defensive structure proved costly, allowing the southern Africans to clinch third place and the bronze medal.
The Morans, despite flashes of brilliance, once again succumbed to a second-half reversal, settling for fourth in the 2025 Rugby Africa Men’s 7s Cup.
2025 Rugby Africa 7s Cup Final:South Africa 28-12 Madagascar Highlights
South Africa began the final with unwavering intensity, and it took just two minutes for Jayden Nell to open the scoring with a well-worked try, which was duly converted to give the Blitzboks an early 7–0 lead.
Moments later, Mfundo Ndhlovu extended their advantage with a brilliant finish, and Ricardo Duarttee slotted in the conversion to push the score to 14–0.
Madagascar responded with a spark of their own as Alex Briz crossed the try line, and the successful conversion narrowed the gap to 14–7.
However, Duarttee, in sensational form, exploited a defensive lapse by Madagascar to score a solo try, which he then converted himself to restore South Africa’s two-try cushion at 21–7.
Madagascar clawed back with another try after Rowan Malgas had a score disallowed. They closed the deficit to 21–12 with just two minutes remaining, setting up a tense finish.
But any hopes of a comeback were dashed when Jayden Nell completed his brace, sealing the victory for South Africa with a final score of 28–12.
After two consecutive years of falling short, South Africa reclaimed their dominance on the continental stage, finishing the tournament unbeaten and clinching the 2025 Rugby Africa Men’s 7s Cup title.
Meanwhile, Madagascar whose only loss came in the final earned a respectable runner-up position.
Kenya Morans’ Results – 2025 Rugby Africa 7s Cup
Group Stage
- Kenya 36–0 Côte d’Ivoire
- Kenya 33–0 Ghana
- Kenya 12–5 Uganda
Cup Quarterfinal
- Kenya 43–12 Nigeria
Cup Semifinal
- Kenya 12–14 Madagascar
Third Place Playoff
- Kenya 19–21 Zimbabwe
Kenya Morans Squad – 2025 Rugby Africa 7s Cup
- George Ooro (Co-Captain)
- Dennis Abukuse
- William Mwanji
- Brian Mutua
- Felix Okoth
- Lamech Ambetsa
- Jackson Siketi
- Phillip Okeyo
- Chrisant Ojwang (Co-Captain)
- Floyd Wabwire
- Javan Otieno
- Matoka Matoka
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