- Kenya 7s defeated Great Britain 12-7 to secure a place in the Valladolid 7s Main Cup quarterfinals.
- It was Shujaa’s first victory of the tournament after suffering back-to-back defeats on Friday at Estadio Jose Zorrilla in Spain.
- Shujaa have been drawn against Australia in the Main Cup quarterfinal, scheduled for 5:49pm, as they seek revenge for their group-stage defeat.
Kenya 7s made amends for their Friday slip-ups and mistakes, punching their ticket to the Valladolid 7s Main Cup quarterfinals after scraping through a nerve-wracking 12-7 win over a daring Great Britain on Saturday afternoon at the Estadio Jose Zorrilla in Spain.
The opening day did not go as planned for Shujaa.
They suffered a 15-10 extra-time defeat to Australia before a solid South African side handed them a 14-0 loss, piling pressure on them heading into their final Pool A fixture against Great Britain, who had collected two bonus points.
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However, Shujaa were the first side to get off the hook with a well-executed try on the left wing after a slick pass from Samwel Asati found Nygel Amaitsa, who then spotted Festus Shiasi making a solid run to give Shujaa a 5-0 lead, though Amaitsa missed the conversion.
With Amaitsa temporarily off the field moments later, Great Britain capitalized on the numerical advantage and grabbed the lead through Charlton Kerr, who sliced through two Kenyan defenders to score. Roan Frostwick successfully converted, giving Britain a 7-5 lead.
Shujaa then suffered a major setback as Amaitsa was unable to continue after picking up an injury and had to be stretchered off the pitch.
Kenya created a promising opportunity just before halftime, but Shiasi knocked the ball on near the right wing, allowing Great Britain to head into the break with a narrow 7-5 lead.
Just seconds into the second half, Shujaa regained the advantage with a fine try. David Nyagige played in Vincent Onyala, who found George Ooro out the back; Ooro then slipped a pass to Patrick Odongo, who bulldozed through the British defence for a score that Nyagige neatly converted.
Shujaa maintained their composure and discipline throughout the remaining minutes. Despite relentless pressure from a determined Great Britain side, they held firm to preserve their 12-7 advantage, a result that ultimately secured their place in the Main Cup quarterfinals.
With a top-eight finish now locked up in this penultimate round of the World Championship, Shujaa will be eyeing a semifinal berth to improve on their seventh-place finish at the Hong Kong 7s.
This time, they willl face Australia in the Main Cup quarterfinal, scheduled for 5:19pm, as they seek revenge for their group-stage defeat.
Kenya 7s Valladolid 7s fixtures, play times, and schedule
Friday May 29
Shujaa 10-15 Australia
Shujaa 0-14 South Africa
Saturday May 30
Shujaa 12-7 Great Britain
Main Cup quarterfinal
Shujaa vs Australia – 5:49pm EAT