- Shujaa suffered two defeats on the opening day of the Hong Kong 7s in this World Championship leg.
- They kicked off the three-day tournament with a 14–5 defeat to Australia, then their second loss came at the hands of New Zealand, 28–12.
- Next at Kai Tak Sports Park, they will aim to end Pool C on a high when they take on the USA on Saturday morning.
Kenya 7s finished day one of the 2026 Hong Kong 7s on the wrong foot as they stumbled in their second match of the day, left to rue their mistakes against New Zealand, who beat them 28-12 on Friday evening at the Kai Tak Sports Park.
Shujaa needed to grab at least a bonus point in this encounter after missing out in their opener, where they fell 14-5 against Australia.
The All Blacks were the first to draw blood less than two minutes into the game, after they carved out a chance on the left wing.
Roderick Solo took the offload on that side and handed his squad a 7-0 lead after Sam Clarke added the extras.
ASLO READ: Kenya 7s fall short against Australia in Hong Kong 7s opener
New Zealand managed to pin Shujaa inside their own 22 after the restart, and Shujaa’s defense was not solid enough as Clarke bagged the second try, also converting it to push their advantage to 14-0.
Right before halftime, Shujaa managed to cut the deficit with a try of their own in the right corner.
Samuel Asati offloaded to Kevin Wekesa, who somehow overwhelmed the New Zealand defense and dragged the try over, sending his side into the break trailing 14-5.
In the second half, New Zealand stretched their lead with a converted try after Solo offloaded to Brady Rush, which was converted to make it 21-5.
Shujaa managed to hit back with a try of their own later on after some slick play–Vincent Onyala passed to Asati, who offloaded to Nygel Amaitsa, pulling the game to 21-12.
But Shujaa’s comeback was slowed down by a defensive lapse and a lack of quick reaction at the back, as the All Blacks capitalized on the sluggish response.
Kelen Laaqa took the offload and punished Shujaa for their mistakes, wrapping up a 28-12 victory and handing Shujaa their second loss of the tournament.
Now Shujaa will have to win their last match on Saturday morning when they take on the USA Eagles to try and push themselves into the quarterfinals or even land in a better spot to finish strongly on Sunday.
Kenya 7s Hong Kong 7s Results, Schedule & Fixtures
Friday, April 17
- Shujaa 5-14 Australia
- Shujaa 12-28 New Zealand
Saturday, April 18
- Shujaa vs USA Eagles – 8:24am EAT
- Quarterfinal – 12:13pm – 3:28pm EAT
Sunday, April 19
- Semis / Playoffs – 5:46pm – 1:03pm EAT
- Final – 2:14pm EAT
Shujaa Squad for Hong Kong 7s
- Floyd Wabwire
- George Ooro
- Kevin Wekesa
- Vincent Onyala
- Denis Abukuse
- Gabriel Ayimba
- John Okoth
- Samuel Asati
- Nygel Amaitsa
- David Nyangige
- Brian Tanga
- Festus Shiasi
- Patrick Odongo
Kenya 7s Hong Kong 7s 2026 Pools
Men’s Category
- Pool A: South Africa, Argentina, Spain, Uruguay
- Pool B: Fiji, France, Great Britain, Germany
- Pool C: Australia, New Zealand, USA Eagles, Kenya
Women’s Category
- Pool A: New Zealand, Fiji, Japan, Brazil
- Pool B: Australia, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa
- Pool C: USA, France, Argentina, Spain