The two Kenyan teams, Shujaa and Lionesses had mixed luck on the opening day of the World Rugby Sevens World Series tournament at the Los Angeles Galaxy stadium on Saturday.

The Lionesses lost 10-28 to Brazil and 14-33 to Spain while Shujaa lost 12- 19 to Samoa in their opening match but bounced back to beat Portugal 26-14 in the second. On Sunday, Kenya Lionesses must win the remaining pool match against Colombia with a bonus point while Shujaa must also beat hosts USA to have a realistic chance of avoiding the seventh place play off.

Under the new format, winners of the pool matches automatically qualify to play in the ‘new’ tier two tournament next season. Teams finishing second and third proceed to the play off  where the winners also complete the lineup for the new series where teams will play three tournaments next season.

Below Expectations

The two Kenya coaches Kevin Wambua and Dennis Mwanja said the results were far below their expectations. Wambua acknowledged that Shujaa did not start well against Samoa in the first match. Samoa adopted a physical approach and denied Shujaa possession.

“We conceded early tries and did not recover. Chasing a game is not easy and we also made crucial mistakes which cost us the match,” Wambua added.

Mwanja, his opposite number, admitted some of the players were overawed by this level of competition. “We knew it was going to be tough, especially against teams who had played in the Series. This was a different level and we did not raise up our game,” the coach stated.

He added that results in the match against Spain could have been different if the players executed the game plan. 

Bounced Back

Wambua was pleased with how Shujaa bounced back to win against Portugal. “We had a slow start but performed well in the second half,” he explained. The win gave him hope for the final match against the USA on Sunday. “It will be tough playing against the USA at home but a win could see us finish on top of the table,” the coach stated.

Mwamanja is also hopeful that Kenya Lionesses will get a good result against Colombia. “The players know what has to be done and just have to turn up and give it their all in the last match,” he predicted. 

South Africa, the other African representative, started with a narrow 12-7 win over Ireland before losing 12-26 to China. They face Argentina in their last match. 

Pools

Men

Pool A: Kenya, USA, Portugal, Samoa

Pool B: Uruguay, Ireland, Canada, Germany

Women

Pool A: Brazil, Spain, Kenya, Columbia..

Pool B: China, Ireland, South Africa, Argentina

Match results

Men: Ireland 15 Germany 0, Uruguay 27 Canadá 7, Kenya 12 Samoa 19, USA 26 Portugal 10, Ireland 12 Canada 19, Uruguay 36 Germany 14, USA 25 Samoa 19, Kenya 26 Portugal 14, USA v Kenya, Portugal v Samoa, Germany v Canada, Uruguay v Ireland.

Women: Ireland 7 South Africa 12, China 25 Argentina 0, Spain 33 Kenya 14, Brazil 45 Colombia 12, Ireland 12 Argentina 20, China 26 South Africa 12, Spain 17 Colombia 12, Brazil 28 Kenya 10, South Africa v Argentina, China v Ireland, Kenya v Colombia, Brazil v Spain.  

Championship

Men: Spain 10 Australia 15, Fiji 12 New Zealand 17, South Africa 19 France 10, Argentina 33 Great Britain 26, Spain 7 New Zealand 5, Fiji 14 Australia 15, South Africa 12 Great Britain 7, Argentina 17 France 12, France 24 Great Britain 10, Argentina v South AfricaWomen: Canada 26 Japan 0, New Zealand 41 Great Britain 12, France 5 USA 19, Australia 26 Fiji 5, Canada 26 Great Britain 17, New Zealand 50 Japan 7, France 22 Fiji 26, Australia 33 USA 12, Japan 7 Great Britain 34, New Zealand 41 Canada 5, Australia 19 New Zealand 21, Fiji 12 Spain 24, Australia 33 France 17, USA 31 Fiji 19.