- Kenya 7s have resumed camp to intensify preparations for the final two legs of the 2026 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Championship Series in Europe.
- A total of 18 players reported to camp at Kasarani Stadium on Monday, May 4, with the technical bench sharpening its focus ahead of these crucial tournaments.
- The Valladolid leg is set for May 29–31 in Spain, followed by the Bordeaux leg in France scheduled for June 5–7.
The men’s national sevens side, Shujaa, returned to camp on Monday, May 4, as they kicked off preparations for the upcoming legs of the 2026 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Championship Series in Europe.
A total of 18 players have checked into camp at Kasarani Stadium, with the technical bench sharpening its focus ahead of these crucial tournaments.
Fresh off a seventh-place finish in the first leg last month at the Hong Kong 7s, Kevin Wambua’s squad will ramp up their training, aiming to carry the same energy into the final two legs: The Valladolid leg set for May 29–31 in Spain, followed by the Bordeaux leg in France scheduled for June 5–7.
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At camp, Shujaa have brought in fresh firepower on their technical bench, adding two-time Olympic champion and USA international Chris Brown, who joins the setup to boost the team’s high-performance program while in camp.
“Camp day one, it’s normally great because this is when we get to see each other for the first time. And having one of our new experts, Chris Brown, I think it’s a good feeling to have him back in camp to install a few critical things here and there, fix the nuts and bolts, and see how we go and play the last two legs of the championship,” Vincent Onyala told Sportpesa Blog on Monday.
Onyala stated they will keep building from that seventh-place finish, aiming to go higher and higher toward the best possible result.
Kenya 7s must finish in the top eight of the world championship to return to HSBC SVNS 1 next season.
“We just continue building from where we are, number seven, I think. First goal is quite well cut, and going forward now it’s just to see if we can climb even higher; so go six, go five, go four,” he added.
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He believes it will also be an opportunity to get a direct qualification for the 2028 LA Olympics.
“And if we can get to first place, that will be a huge bonus because it would set a precedent for next season. We know it’s an Olympic year, and playing the championship, I think there’ll be a top-four direct qualification into the Olympics. We’re going for it, we’re ready for it, and we’re quite excited to just secure that top eight and see ourselves into the world championship next year.”
At the Hong Kong 7s Shujaa managed to reach the quarterfinals with a win over the USA Eagles in the group stages.
They suffered defeats to New Zealand and Australia, before being pushed into the seventh-place playoffs by South Africa. They bounced back to beat France and secure seventh place overall.
Onyala has backed the team to maintain their best form and put Kenya on the map.
“Having Chris Brown on board, I think we just need to learn as much as we can, squeeze as much juice as possible, and the rest will be history. This is a brilliant group that plays some out-of-this-world rugby, and going forward, I think there’s a lot of hope with them.”
In the upcoming second leg in Spain, Shujaa have been drawn into a challenging Pool A, where they will face overall leaders and Hong Kong 7s champions South Africa -who previously edged them 26–22 as well as France and Great Britain.
Valladolid 7s Men’s Pools
- Pool A: South Africa, Australia, Kenya, Great Britain
- Pool B: Argentina, New Zealand, Uruguay, Germany
- Pool C: Spain, Fiji, France, United States
Women’s Pools
- Pool A: New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Argentina
- Pool B: Australia, United States, Fiji,South Africa
- Pool C:France, Canada, Spain, Great Britain
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