Kenya 7s off to winning start at Africa Men’s 7s in Mauritius

The second string of the National Sevens team, Kenya Morans, were off to a perfect start at the 2026 Africa Men’s 7s tournament after beating Namibia 34-12 on Saturday morning at the SPARC International Rugby Stadium in Cascavelle.

The Morans had a slow burn into the game, despite Brian Mutua being the man to spill the first blood with a corner try, which Rayvon Ambale missed the conversion.

But Namibia were well in the first half as they staged a comeback to go upfront with two quick tries, capitalising on the Morans’ defence as they went up 12-5.

Gabriel Ayimba then shrugged off the defence from their own 22, made a run all the way through near the post, before Dennis Ndayala missed the conversion.

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It was Ndayala who managed to give Kenya their lead back with a try of his own in the left corner, which Ambale missed the conversion to ensure they went into the break leading 15-12.

Just after the restart, the Morans managed to hit back quickly after Victor Mola’s kick-and-chase saw him pick it well out of the air, outpacing the defence to extend their lead to 22-12.

Ayimba would get his brace for the day after a good pass-and-go move for Mola, which saw Ambale offload to the Strathmore Leos star, who finished in the corner to extend Kevin Wambua’s charges’ lead to 27-12.

Arnold Agonda, off the bench, came on to seal the win with a good try between the sticks to ensure Kenya won it comfortably 34-12.

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Kenya missed out on a podium finish in last year’s edition, coming fourth, and they will be looking to better themselves this year. They will aim to finish the group stage on a high note, with invited side Réunion awaiting them later in the day.

Before wrapping up the day with a thrilling clash against Madagascar, Kenya will be seeking a semifinal spot in a revamped tournament that has only eight teams, unlike the traditional 12-team format.

As much as Kenya will maintain the second spot despite their performance in this tournament, they will have to put in more effort, as this competition gives them the bigger picture ahead of the upcoming 2026 Safari 7s next weekend in Nairobi.

• 8:44am EAT – Kenya 34-12 Namibia
• 11:50am EAT – Kenya 19-0 Réunion
• 2:40pm EAT  Kenya vs Madagascar