- Shujaa secured a podium finish on home soil, placing third in the opening leg of the HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi tournament.
- They suffered defeat in their final fixture against USA, as Argentina were crowned champions of the leg. USA claimed second place with 12 points, level with Shujaa.
- Meanwhile, the Kenya Lionesses endured a frustrating campaign, falling to four successive defeats and managing just one victory to finish fifth with six points.
The national men’s 7s senior team, Shujaa, wrapped up their first leg of the HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi campaign on a disappointing note, while the Kenya Lionesses weathered a frustrating outing as the two-day tournament came to an end on Sunday, with Argentina’s women’s and Germany’s men’s teams crowned champions.
While securing a third-place podium finish is respectable, it likely felt insufficient for the squad, especially given their desire to make a statement on home soil.
Shujaa enjoyed a strong run through the tournament before meeting their match in the final outing. They faced a resilient USA 7s side on Sunday evening at the Nyayo National Stadium, ultimately falling short with a 17-5 loss.
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Defensive lapses proved costly, as they conceded three tries. Lucas Lacamp crossed the whitewash in the fifth minute of the first half, before Aaron Cummings doubled the lead with another try.
Adam Channel then sealed the win with a third try, with Lacamp successfully converting all three.
George Ooro managed to dart over for a consolation try for Shujaa, but it was not enough to spark a comeback as time ran out, allowing the USA to clinch the win.
HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi leg wrap: Shujaa fall to USA to settle for third on home soil
Thus, Shujaa, like the other five teams, concluded their home matches having tasted defeat in the HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi leg.
This followed earlier victories over Canada (29-12), Belgium (33-0), a narrow 15-10 win against Germany, and a 17-7 triumph over Uruguay.
With that result, Germany were crowned champions in this inaugural outing of the new HSBC series format.
They topped the round-robin table with 13 points, thanks in part to securing a bonus point during the tournament.
That bonus point propelled them ahead of the two sides tied behind them. The USA claimed second place and the silver medal, while Kenya secured the bronze, both finishing with 12 points.
However, the USA had a superior points tally of 126 compared to Shujaa’s 99. Remarkably, the top three sides each suffered just a single loss.
Meanwhile, Uruguay secured fourth place with eight points. Belgium managed to amass only four points to finish fifth, while Canada, the only side unable to secure a win throughout the tournament, returned home with just a single bonus point in sixth place.
HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi leg mens standings
Kenya Lionesses weather a frustrating outing
On the other side of the competition, things went south for the women’s national team, the Kenya Lionesses, who barely escaped the home leg with just one victory to their name.
Their hard-earned win of the tournament came on day one, where they narrowly defeated Brazil 15-12 in their opening match.
However, they then went on to suffer a series of narrow losses: 15-12 to China 7s, and 12-10 to South Africa. Day two ended on another sour note, falling 5-0 to Argentina before wrapping up their campaign with a 14-5 loss to Spain Women 7s.
As a result, Argentina, who earned promotion from the HSBC SVSN 3 just this year, managed to snatch the top spot. They leveraged bonus points to finish with 13 points, having lost just one match.
South Africa, also from the third division this season, came second with 12 points after also suffering a single defeat. Spain took third place with 11 points.
China, who showed great spirit throughout the weekend, scooped six points for fourth place, with the Kenya Lionesses also on six points but finishing fifth. Brazil’s four points placed them at the bottom of the standings.
While it’ is still too early for the teams to start panicking, with two more outings remaining, collecting these points is absolutely crucial.
HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi leg women standings
Teams will now set their sights on preparing for the second leg, which will be heading to Montevideo, Uruguay, from March 21-22.
They will then wrap up the third and final leg in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from March 28-29, just a week after the second tournament.
At the conclusion of the three legs, the top four teams will join the top eight teams from the World Championship Series for their own three-leg event.
Ultimately, the top eight out of the twelve teams will secure their place in the SVNS Division 1 for 2027.
HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi: Sunday Feb 15, results
Women’s Matches
- 11:00 – China 7s 33-5 South Africa 7s
- 11:22 – Brazil 7s 21-29 Spain 7s
- 11:44 – Kenya 7s 0-5 Argentina 7s
- 15:12 – South Africa 7s 17-12 Argentina 7s
- 15:34 – Brazil 7s 5-24 China 7s
- 15:56 – Spain 7s 14-5 Kenya 7s
Men’s Matches
- 12:06 – Canada 7s 7-10 Belgium 7s
- 12:28 – USA 7s 28-7 Germany 7s
- 12:50 – Kenya 7s 17-7 Uruguay 7s
- 16:18 – Germany 7s 12-7 Belgium 7s
- 16:40 – Uruguay 7s 43-12 Canada 7s
- 17:02 – Kenya 7s 5-21 USA 7s
HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi – Saturday 14 February results
Women’s Matches
- 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