- Kenya Lionesses crush Cote d’Ivoire 44–0 to kick off the Africa Women’s 7s 2025 tournament on a high note on Saturday, November 15.
- The two-day tournament is being staged at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi, Kenya.
- Later in the day, the Lionesses will face a tough task as they take on Ghana in the evening from 4:06 PM EAT.
The national women’s rugby 7s team, the Kenya Lionesses, kicked off the Africa Women’s 7s 2025 tournament on a high note, delivering a commanding 44-0 victory over Cote d’Ivoire at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi on Saturday afternoon.
Placed in Pool B, it took the Kenya Lionesses just five minutes to get on the scoreboard.
Following a well-executed build-up from a scrum on the left wing, Grace Okulu delivered a slick offload to Janet Okello, who sprinted through to secure the side’s first try and an early 5-0 lead.
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Kenya Lionesses crush Cote d’Ivoire 44–0
Just two minutes later, Okello doubled the Lionesses’ advantage, this time tearing down the right flank. Sinaida Nyachio missed the subsequent conversion.
The Ivory Coast faced a further setback when Fatuma Wataru was shown a yellow card a minute before halftime, reducing them to six players.
The Lionesses capitalized on this numerical advantage, with Sheila Chajira powering over for another try, which went unconverted, bringing the score to 15-0.
In the dying seconds of the half, Okello completed her hat-trick with yet another try, sending the team into the break with a commanding 20-0 lead.
Okello was substituted in the second half for Freshia Odour, who made an immediate impact by scoring a try of her own. Nyachio successfully added the extras, extending the lead to 27-0.
Four minutes later, Edith Nariaka sliced through the Cote d’Ivoire defense to touch down, pushing the score to 32-0.
Despite a resilient defensive effort from Ivory Coast, Faith Livoi further extended the Lionesses’ lead with another seven-point try, converted by Nyachio, for a 39-0 scoreline.
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Coming off the bench for her debut, Nelly Chikombe capped off the victory for Simon Odongo’s charges with a well-taken try, sealing the comprehensive 44-0 win.
The Lionesses will now prepare to face Ghana in their final Pool B match, in what promises to be a thrilling encounter scheduled for 4:06 PM EAT.
Ghana also had a strong start to the day, opening the tournament with a dominant 57-0 win over the same Ivory Coast on Saturday morning.
Africa Women’s 7s 2025 Fixtures & Order of Play
Participating Teams
- Pool A: South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mauritius
- Pool B: Kenya, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire
- Pool C: Uganda, Zambia, Burkina Faso
- Pool D: Madagascar, Tunisia, Egypt
Saturday Results
- 09:00 – Tunisia 22-00 Egypt
- 09:22 – Zambia 52-00 Burkina Faso
- 09:44 – Ghana 57-00 Cote d’Ivoire
- 10:06 – Zimbabwe 29-5 Mauritius
- 12:00 – Madagascar 31-5 Egypt
- 12:22 – Uganda 50-0 Burkina Faso
- 12:44 – Kenya 44-0 Cote d’Ivoire
- 13:06 – South Africa 68-0 Mauritius
- 15:00 – Madagascar vs Tunisia
- 15:22 – Uganda vs Zambia
- 15:44 – South Africa vs Zimbabwe
- 16:06 – Kenya vs Ghana