Kenya Lionesses endured a tough end to Match Day One of the HSBC SVNS 2 after suffering a narrow 12–10 defeat to Springbok Women’s Sevens at Nyayo National Stadium.
The Lionesses came into the contest seeking redemption after being stunned earlier by China, and head coach Simon Odongo rang changes at the back, introducing Sinaida Nyachio as Kenya adopted a more cautious, territory-based approach.
Despite the tactical tweak, it was South Africa who struck first, capitalising on a costly Kenyan line-out error. The loose ball fell kindly to Nadine Ross, who quickly shifted it to Shiniwwa Lamprecht, and the winger made no mistake crossing the whitewash. The conversion sailed through the uprights to give South Africa a 7–0 lead.
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Momentum briefly swung Kenya’s way when Lerato Makua was shown a yellow card and sent to the sin bin, handing the Lionesses a numerical advantage.
Kenya responded well, recycling possession patiently and probing the defensive line before Chajira finished off a well-worked move to score Kenya’s first try.
The conversion was unsuccessful, but the scoreline was trimmed to 7–5 and belief surged through the home side.
However, South Africa hit back before the break through speedster Maria Tshiremba, who exploited space out wide to score their second try. The conversion missed its mark, but the Springbok Women’s Sevens still headed into halftime with a 12–5 advantage.
The second half saw the Lionesses lift their intensity, showing grit in defence and urgency at the breakdown. Kenya pressed hard, but South Africa’s backline remained composed and resilient, shutting down space and slowing ball at the ruck.
Kenya’s persistence finally paid off when Freshia Oduor broke the line and offloaded to Moreen Muritu, who sprinted clear to dot down and reduce the deficit to 12–10. Once again, the conversion attempt went astray, proving costly in the end.
Despite a late push and sustained pressure in the dying moments, South Africa managed the clock expertly to see out the match, condemning the Lionesses to their second loss of the day and leaving Kenya with plenty to reflect on heading into Day Two.
HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi – Saturday 14 February Results
- 09:00 – China 7s 10-20 Argentina 7s
- 09:22 – Spain 7s 12-14 South Africa 7s
- 09:44 – Brazil 7s 12-15 Kenya 7s
- 12:02 – Spain 7s 17-19 Argentina 7s
- 12:24 – Brazil 7s 12-0 South Africa 7s
- 12:46 – China 7s 15-12 Kenya 7s
- 15:04 – Brazil 7s 17-28 Argentina 7s
- 15:26 – China 7s 0-21 Spain 7s
- 15:48 – Kenya 7s 10-12 South Africa 7s
Men’s Matches
- 10:06 – USA 7s 40-0 Belgium 7s
- 10:28 – Uruguay 7s 14-19 Germany 7s
- 10:50 – Kenya 7s 29-12 Canada 7s
- 13:08 – Uruguay 7s 14-17 USA 7s
- 13:30 – Germany 7s 26-17 Canada 7s
- 13:52 – Kenya 7s 33-0 Belgium 7s
- 16:10 – USA 7s 41-7 Canada 7s
- 16:32 – Uruguay 7s 38-14 Belgium 7s
- 16:54 – Kenya 7s 15-10 Germany 7s