- Kenya 7s seal seventh place in Hong Kong 7s, the opening leg of the HSBC SVNS World Championship.
- They defeated France 21–7 on Sunday, April 19, in the seventh-place playoffs at Kai Tak Sports Park.
- Shujaa finished with two wins, including a 17–10 victory over the USA, while suffering defeats of 14–5 to Australia, 28–12 to New Zealand, and a narrow 26–22 loss to South Africa in the quarterfinals.
The men’s national sevens side, Shujaa, wrapped up the first leg of the World Championship in Hong Kong 7s on a high note as they beat France 21-7 to secure seventh place finish, with hopes for promotion to SVNS 1 next season kicking off on a positive note.
Shujaa had endured a string of mistakes at the Kai Tak Sports Park, where they had to get past the USA Eagles to pull themselves out of losses to Australia and New Zealand in their pool C. They booked a spot in the main cup quarterfinals.
However, they let it slip late when they took on South Africa on Saturday – a 22-14 lead was wiped out in seconds, costing them a place in the main cup semifinals and sending them into the seventh-place playoffs as one of the best losers on Sunday morning.
ALSO READ: South Africa hand Shujaa a reality check in Hong Kong 7s main cup quarterfinals
Kenya 7s seal seventh place in Hong Kong 7s
Facing France, it was Nygel Amaitsa who first gave Kenya the lead. After managing to pin France into their area through a well-worked rack, they saw Amaitsa receive the offload in the center, shrug off the French defence, and roll over the whitewash to give Kenya the lead as he also converted it himself.
But just before halftime, a defensive slip from Shujaa saw them punished on the left wing. France capitalized through Maxin Granell, who left Festius Shiasi on the floor, while Gabriel Ayimba could not catch him on pace, making it 7-7 at the break.
The second half kicked off with Kenya reclaiming the lead after a sharp scrum-half play from Samwel Asati, who delivered to Amaitsa.
He offloaded to Festus Shiasi, who just managed to burst through the French defence and extend Kenya’s lead, with Amaitsa adding the extras.
With a very disciplined performance, Shujaa stretched their advantage further after a solid scrum.
Amaitsa won a turnover, and it was the KCB scrum-half Asati who did not hesitate he dodged between the French defence to make it 21-7.
As much as they wanted to score more, they had to settle for that on the day, ending this first leg of the HSBC World Championship on a high note.
ALSO READ: Kenya 7s edge out USA to cruise into Hong Kong 7s main cup quarterfinals
Shujaa had chances to finish in an even better position, but seventh place overall is not too bad.
They will carry that momentum into the second and third legs of the championship as they push for promotion back to Series 1 next season.
They are within touching distance.
After this stop in China, they will head to the second leg in Valladolid from May 29-31, before wrapping up with the Bordeaux leg from June 5-7, where the top eight teams will earn their spot in the HSBC SVNS 1.
Kenya 7s Hong Kong 7s Results
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 21-7 France – Seventh place playoffs
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