- South Africa beat Shujaa 26–22 to advance to the Hong Kong 7s main Cup semifinals at Kai Tak Sports Park.
- Shujaa’s defeat means they will feature in the fifth-place playoffs on Sunday, hoping to finish strong in this first leg of the World Championship.
- Shujaa were leading 22–14 before the Blitzboks mounted a comeback to overturn the deficit and stun Kevin Wambua’s charges.
The men’s national sevens side, Shujaa, let it slip late as they fell 26-22 in an Africa Derby against South Africa in the Hong Kong 7s main Cup quarterfinals, played Saturday afternoon at Kai Tak Sports Park.
Shujaa had booked their spot in the main Cup last eight after edging out the USA Eagles 17-10 in the morning, finishing as one of the best third-place team in the group stage.
They needed to carry that momentum into the quarterfinals, but the high-intensity affair saw them squander a 22-14 lead.
That allowed South Africa to mount a comeback and punch their ticket to the main Cup semifinals, where they will face New Zealand. Meanwhile, Shujaa were thrown into the seventh-place playoffs against France.
ALSO READ: Kenya 7s edge out USA to cruise into Hong Kong 7s main cup quarterfinals
Blitzboks hand Shujaa a reality check in Hong Kong 7s
South Africa drew first blood just two minutes into the contest after pinning Shujaa in their own territory.
The Kenyan defense could not hold firm, with Samwel Asati conceding a scrum in their area after his clearance kick saw him step out. Selvyn Davids gave South Africa a 7-0 lead, and Tristan Leyds added the extras.
Shujaa managed to claw back with a try of their own after a solid spell of dominance. Vincent Onyala offloaded to John Okoth, who sliced through to cut the deficit to 7-5, though Nygel Amaitsa missed the conversion.
Right after the restart, Shujaa extended their advantage with a brilliantly executed try. John Okoth passed to Dennis Abukuse, who burst through to shrug off the Blitzboks’ defense and give Kenya a 12-7 lead after Amaitsa converted.
But just as Shujaa thought they had the upper hand, they were reduced to six men on the field after Onyala committed a foul.
South Africa capitalized on that moment and regained the lead with a try from Donavan Don, taking a 14-12 advantage into the break.
In the second half, Shujaa reclaimed the lead. Asati, who had been a dominant force throughout the two days, produced a magnificent offload on the right wing to Kevin Wekesa, who surged through to make it 17-14.
ALSO READ: Kenya 7s slip again in Hong Kong 7s as All Blacks hand them second defeat
It did not take long for Shujaa to extend what could have been the winning margin. The same Asati found Festus Shiasi in the left corner from a well-played ruck, and Shiasi simply stretched their lead to 22-14.
But it’s never over in the world of rugby until the hooter. With less than two minutes left, just as Shujaa dreamed of the semifinals, the Blitzboks delivered a reality check.
A forward kick caught Shujaa off guard, and their defence was too slow to react as Quewin Nortje raced through to narrow the gap to 22–21 after a successful conversion.
South Africa then kicked off smartly and kept the ball in their possession.
Shujaa, despite their best defensive efforts, conceded too many penalties.
That allowed the big-stage experience of South Africa to add another try of their own, right after the hooter had gone, to snatch the lead and sail through to the main Cup semis leaving Shujaa to settle for the seventh-place playoffs.
Kenya 7s Hong Kong 7s Results, Schedule & Fixtures
Friday, April 17
- Shujaa 5-14 Australia
- Shujaa 12-28 New Zealand
Saturday, April 18
- Shujaa 17-10 USA Eagles
- Shujaa 22-26 South Africa
Sunday, April 19
- Shujaa vs France – Seventh place playoffs-7:51am 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