- Kenya Shujaa kicked off their Safari 7s title defense in emphatic fashion, dismantling Walukuba Rugby 55-0 in the opening match on Saturday, October 11.
- The three-day tournament is being staged at Nyayo National Stadium.
- This fixture was one of three originally scheduled for Friday evening, but was postponed due to unforeseen floodlight failure.
The Safari 7s reigning champions, Kenya Shujaa, launched their title defense in spectacular fashion, demolishing Ugandan side Walukuba 55-0 in their opening match of the 27th edition on Saturday morning at the Nyayo National Stadium.
This fixture was one of three initially scheduled for Friday evening but was postponed after unforeseen floodlight failure, forcing the games to be moved to Saturday morning.
Chasing a historic fourth consecutive title, the Kevin Wambua-led charges drew first blood in just 30 seconds. Kevin Wekesa seized the opportunity, spotting a gap on the right flank to slice through and cross the whitewash for the team’s first try of the tournament.
They wasted no time in adding to their tally, pressuring the Ugandan champions deep in their 22-meter area.
Awarded a penalty, they moved the ball well through Vincent Onyala, who offloaded to his KCB teammate George Ooro. Ooro sprinted between the posts, and with the successful conversion, Kenya extended their lead to 12-0.
With just two minutes remaining in the first half, Shujaa struck again. This time, speedster Patrick Odongo finished off a pass from Ooro on the left flank.
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Ooro then bagged his own second try, weaving through the Walukuba defense to push the score to 26-0.
As the halftime hooter sounded, Nygel Amaitsa stretched the lead with a sprint through the center, converting his own try to give Kenya a commanding 33-0 lead at the break.
The second half saw Shujaa continue their dominant form, clearly unsatisfied with their first-half performance.
Festus Shiasi added another five points, with Amaitsa slotting the extras to bring up the 40-point mark.
Substitute Gabriel Ayimba then got his name on the scoresheet, stretching the lead to 45-0.
The team soon passed the half-century mark, with Ayimba completing his brace with a try on the right flank.
Wekesa sealed the performance with his second try of the day, extending the final score to 55-0-the highest of the tournament so far.
The pummeled Ugandan side will look to bounce back later against the French Renegades, while Shujaa seeks a second victory against the UK Select side.
In other action, the Uganda Rugby Sevens Cranes were the first to take the field, facing Nyati Rugby, who received a late call-up to replace a withdrawn Zambia.
However, the neighbors had a rough start, falling 24-12 to a dominant Nyati.
The Uganda side will aim to recover later against KCB in their second Pool B match. KCB, itself reeling from a Friday loss to Shogun, will also be seeking redemption. Meanwhile, Nyati will aim to maintain their perfect record when they take on Shogun.
In a Pool A opener, the French Renegades and UK Select side ran head-to-head, with the UK team managing a blistering start to edge out the Renegades 28-21.
Safari 7s 2025 Men’s Round One Results
- Kenya Morans 24-0 ReUnion
- Zimbabwe 33-17 Apache
- Shogun 17-14 KCB Rugby
- Uganda 12-24 Nyati
- French Renegades 21-28 UK Select
- Kenya Shujaa 55-0 Walukuba Rugby