- Kenya Lionesses stage stunning comeback to edge Brazil as HSBC SVNS 2 kicks off in Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday February 14.
- The Lionesses came from behind to clinch a thrilling 15-12 victory.
- Next up, Kenya faces China at 12:47, aiming to sharpen their attacking play and build on this hard-fought opener.
The women’s national 7s side, the Kenya Lionesses, escaped a scare against the Brazil women’s 7s team as they came from behind to secure their first win of the 2026 HSBC SVNS 2, narrowly beating Brazil 15-12 at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday morning.
Despite controlling the opening exchanges, it was Brazil who struck first blood.
Thalia Costa exploited space on the left wing, racing past Freshia Odour to dot down and give her side a 7-0 lead after Maysa Fernandes added the extras.
Kenya Lionesses edge Brazil as HSBC SVNS 2 kicks off in Nairobi
The Lionesses pushed for an immediate response, but a momentary lapse in defence allowed Bianca Silva to gather an offload on the right flank and glide past Sheila Chajira, stretching the advantage to a commanding 12-0.
Just when it looked like Brazil might run away with it, Kenya found a way back before the break.
Janet Okello showed brilliant footwork on the left touchline, weaving through the defence to plant the ball down and narrow the gap to 12-5 at halftime.
The hosts came out firing after the break.
Within a minute of the restart, they struck again, Stellah Wafula finishing off a slick move after a crisp pass from Chajira on the right wing.
Wafula powered through a tackle to touch down, and though the conversion drifted wide, the scoreboard now read 12-10, with all the momentum swinging Kenya’s way.
With just two minutes left on the clock, the Lionesses grabbed their moment.
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A quick tap from Okello caught Brazil off guard, and she offloaded brilliantly to Naomi Amuguni, who crashed over for the winning try.
The conversion missed its mark, but it didn’t matter Kenya had snatched a 15-12 victory to kick off their tournament in style.
Next up for the Lionesses is a clash with China at 12:47, where they’ll look to sharpen their attacking play and build on this hard-fought opener.
HSBC SVNS 2 Womens 7s Round one recap
Elsewhere on another Round one match, South Africa survived a tense battle with Spain, edging them 14-12.
The Springbok Women dominated territory in the first half but could not find a way through until Nadine Roos leveled just before the break.
Spain regained the lead early in the second half through Silvia Morales, but tries from Liske Lategan and Roos swung the game back in South Africa’s favour, securing their first win of the weekend.
Earlier, Argentina set the tone with a solid 20-10 victory over China in the tournament opener.
Marianela Escalante grabbed the first try of the day, while Talia Rodich crossed twice. Maria Paula Pedrozo added another as Los Pumas Sevens cruised, despite China responding with second-half scores from Le Zhang and Chen Can.
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 vs Argentina 7s
- 12:24 – Brazil 7s vs South Africa 7s
- 12:46 – China 7s vs Kenya 7s
- 15:04 – Brazil 7s vs Argentina 7s
- 15:26 – China 7s vs Spain 7s
- 15:48 – Kenya 7s vs South Africa 7s