All the three African teams Kenya, Uganda and South Africa kept alive their hopes of clinching that one remaining spot for the Olympic games after qualifying for the quarter finals of the World Rugby Sevens Repechage qualifier in Monaco on Saturday.

On Saturday,  Uganda Cranes set the pace when they defeated China 33-15 in a must win match that set them for an All-Africa clash against favorites South Africa in the quarter final on Sunday. The women’s team, She Cranes battled past Hong Kong China 17-12 to finish top of their Pool E unbeaten to set a date with Czechia in their quarter finals on Sunday. 

Kenya Lionesses made it to the knockout stage with a gritty 19-17 win over Argentina to finish top of Pool D that was reduced to three teams after Papua New Guinea failed to travel to Monaco. The two teams face off in the quarter final. 

In their match against China, Uganda Cranes shook off a determined effort by China with two tries by Adrian Kasito while Norbert Okeny, Timothy Kisiga and Philip Wokorach added one each. Kisiga ensured the win by hacking the ball, retrieving and scoring under the posts after Kasito completed his brace. Wokorach then put the cherry on the cake with a final try.

Comfortable win

Kenya Lionesses who played no match on the opening day started their campaign with a comfortable 31-5 win over Samoa. Sinaida Nyachio scored two tries while Janet Okelo, Sharon Auma and Grake Okulu added one each. Nyachio kicked over three conversions. Linda Fiafia replied with one try for Samoa.

Against Argentina, Freshia Oduor, Okelo and Judith Akumu scored one try each. Okulu and Oduor added one conversion each. Try scorers for Argentina were Marienala Escalante and Maria Brigido Chamorro (2). Sofia Gonzalez kicked over one conversion.

South Africa, one of the three teams expected to grab the one remaining slot conceded their first points in the qualifier despite beating Tonga 31-7 in their second match. Quewin Nortje crossed the line twice while Shaun Williams, Shilton Van Wyk and Selvyn Davids added one try each. Tristan Leyds converted three tries. Lopini Fokufuka scored Tonga’s lone try which was converted by Semisi Maasi. 

In the match against Chile, South Africa dropped their second points against Chile but won 24-7. Ryan Oosthuizen, Leyds, Siviwe Soyizwapi and Van Wyk scored one try each for the top seeds with conversions by Davids, Leyds and Williams. Chile replied with a try by Clemente Armstrong which was converted by Tomas Salas.

Soyizwapi optimistic

Soyizwapi, the former South Africa sevens captain, was optimistic of reaching the final on Sunday. “The boys are building up nicely. Every tournament gives us an opportunity to work and implement something,” he said. 

The player who missed most of the last season through injury affirmed that the theme for the weekend was to focus on themselves and deliver a win at each stage.

Sir Gordon Tietjens, a consultant for China, was optimistic of the women’s team’s performance in the opening two days. China, who won the Challenger Series, dropped only one try against Czechia to finish top of Pool F. 

Teams that bowed out of contention after the opening two days were Mexico, China and Brazil. In the women’s competition, Paraguay, Mexico and Jamaica were knocked out. 

The draw for the Olympic Games will be done after the two finals in Monaco.

Quarter finals

Women: China v Paraguay, Czechia v Uganda, Kenya v Argentina, Poland v Hong Kong China 

Men: South Africa v Uganda, Great Britain v Tonga, Spain v Hong Kong China, Canada v Chile.

Results

Pool D: Argentina, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Samoa

Argentina 26 Samoa 5, Kenya 31 Samoa 5, Argentina 17 Kenya 19.

Pool E: Hong Kong China, Jamaica, Paraguay, Uganda

Hong Kong China 33 Paraguay 15, Uganda 29 Jamaica 0, Hong Kong China 22 Jamaica 12, Uganda 24 Paraguay 0, China 26 Poland 0, Paraguay 36 Jamaica 21, Uganda 17 Hong Kong China 14.

Pool F: China, Czechia, Mexico, Poland

Poland 24 Czechia 7, China 55 Mexico 0, Poland 60 Mexico 0, China 41 Czechia 5, Czechia 45 Mexico 0, China 26 Poland 0.

Men

Pool A: Chile, Mexico, South Africa, Tonga

Chile 14 Tonga 5, South Africa 44 Mexico 0, Chile 35 Mexico 10, South Africa 31 Tonga 7, Tonga 26 Mexico 5, South Africa 26 Chile 7. 

Pool B: Canada, China, Great Britain, Uganda

Canada 31 Uganda 12, Great Britain 35 China 19, Canada 33 China 14, Great Britain 29 Uganda 5, Uganda 33 China 15, Great Britain 17 Canada 14.

Pool C: Brazil, Hong Kong China, Papua New Guinea, Spain.

Spain 38 Brazil 0, Hong Kong China 36 Brazil 0, Spain 34 Hong Kong China 14. 

Already qualified

Men: Argentina, Australia, Fiji, France, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, New Zealand, Samoa, USA, Uruguay. 

Women: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Fiji, France, Great Britain , Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, South Africa, USA.