- Kenya 7s have been relegated to HSBC SVNS 2 after the USA staged a dramatic comeback to beat Fiji at the Bordeaux 7s in France.
- Shujaa finished the season with 16 points after ending 11th in France, despite reaching the quarterfinals in both the Hong Kong and Valladolid.
- The USA secured a fifth-place finish in Bordeaux to climb to eighth overall with 17 points.
The men’s national sevens side, Shujaa, will once again have to battle their way up from the HSBC SVNS 2 next season after the USA Eagles staged a comeback to beat Fiji 17-14 and clinch fifth place in the Bordeaux 7s in France.
That result on Sunday June 7, was enough to leapfrog above Shujaa in the overall standings, snatching eighth spot while dropping Kenya to ninth – shoving them back into the SVNS 2 next season.
Shujaa endured a difficult outing in the third and final leg of the World Championship at the at Stade de Bordeaux. Their struggles began in the group stage, where they lost all three matches in a highly competitive Pool A.
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Kenya opened with a 31-12 defeat to Fiji on Friday before falling 26-5 to South Africa in their second match.
They then faced Great Britain on Saturday and narrowly lost 14-5, a result that condemned them to the ninth-place semifinals.
There, they suffered another setback after a shock 7-5 defeat to Germany, sending them into the 11th-place playoff.
Kevin Wambua’s charges responded positively, defeating Uruguay 26-7 in their final match on Sunday.
However, their fate was no longer in their own hands as they anxiously awaited the outcome of the fifth-place playoff between the USA Eagles and Fiji later in the day.
For the opening seven minutes of that contest, Kenya’s hopes remained alive. Fiji stormed into a 14-0 lead at halftime thanks to two converted tries from Viwa Naduvalo.
But after the restart, momentum swung dramatically in favour of the USA.
Tries from David Still and Will Chevalier reduced the deficit to 14-12 before Lucas Lacamp crossed over for a stunning late winner that left Kenya heartbroken while sending the Eagles soaring back into the top tier.
Shujaa, who had reached the quarterfinals in the previous two Championship legs; finishing seventh in the Hong Kong Sevens and eighth in Valladolid, arrived in France with 14 points.
They only needed another quarterfinal appearance to keep pace with the USA, who entered the final round on just five points. However, once the matches unfolded, Kenya could not do enough to preserve their status.
They finished the Championship with 16 points, one behind the USA, who climbed to 17 points to secure eighth place. Meanwhile, South Africa successfully defended their title to be crowned back-to-back world champions.
Shujaa will now shift their focus to the three-leg HSBC SVNS 2 campaign, hoping to rebuild and mount a strong push for a return to the top flight after missing out for a second consecutive season.
Kenya 7s Bordeaux 7s Results
Friday, June 5
- Shujaa 12-31 Fiji
- Shujaa 5-26 South Africa
Saturday, June 6
- Shujaa 5-14 Great Britain
- Ninth-place semifinal: Shujaa 5-7 Germany
Sunday, June 7
- 11th-place playoff: Shujaa 26-7 Uruguay
Kenya 7s Valladolid 7s 2026 Results
Friday, May 29
- Shujaa 10-15 Australia
- Shujaa 0-14 South Africa
Saturday, May 30
- Shujaa 12-7 Great Britain
Main Cup Quarter-final
- Shujaa 0-21 Australia
Sunday, May 31
Seventh-Place Playoff
- Shujaa 5-14 France
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 Playoff