“Just where was this Kenya Lionesses Team?” This is the question on almost every rugby fan’s lips following an extraordinary opening day at the last World Rugby Sevens Tier 2 tournament in Sao Paulo.

At the end of the day after each team played three matches, Kenya Lionesses finished top of the table after two wins against South Africa and Spain despite narrowly losing the opening match to Argentina. The loss to Argentina could have meant Kenya Lionesses were back to the default setting.

They bounced back to beat South Africa 14-5 and Spain 24-17. With the clock in the red and Kenya Lionesses leading 19-17, a brave decision to continue the final play saw Janet Okelo race for an unconverted try. These points may become crucial on Sunday when they face China and hosts Brazil.

All About Structures

After the win against Spain, www.thesportsnewsarena.com interviewed the captain Sheila Chajira and coach Simon Odongo. The captain said it was all about structures and the awareness of the task ahead. “ We knew we had to win all our matches,” she declared.

When put to task to explain the previous results, Chajira explained it was all about structure. “In the opening games, we veered away from the structure. We shall focus on one game at a time.”

New Challenge

Odongo, the coach explained this was a new challenge playing against the top 12 teams in Tier 2. He added there was a shift in the mindset when the team landed in Sao Paulo for the penultimate round. In the absence of some of the key players, the technical bench has had to plug in and include new layers.

“They are aware this is a different level and must execute,” he added. When asked what tok the team so long to regain their winning ways, Odongo stated: “Losing and winning can become a habit,” which partly explained why they beat South Africa and Spain.

Perhaps the coach nailed it when he stated that in the previous matches, individualistic approach could have cost them wins. “You have to trust the player next to you,” the coach explained. This was evident in their performance against South Africa where there was a lot of ball movement and quick decision making.

Lose Sight

The coach did not lose sight of what is at stake as Kenya Lionesses hope to finish on a high and claim the fourth spot which is still open. China, Brazil and Kenya could still all qualify.

Perhaps what may have been lost to many was that the KRU asked the men’s technical bench headed by Kevin Wambua to address the free fall. This was evidenced by the presence of assistant coach Lous Kisia on Kenya Lionesses bench. Shujaa were on the terraces for their match against Spain.

Across the board, each technical bench kept an eye on the other results. Spain beat South Africa, lost to Kenya and beat China while South Africa lost twice but bounced back to beat Brazil in the final match of the day.

Sao Paulo, results

Women

Saturday, March 28, 2026: Spain 19 South Africa 5, Argentina 19 Kenya 12, China 17  Brazil 19, South Africa 5 Kenya 14, Spain 26 China 7, Argentina 0 Brazil 17, Spain 17 Kenya 24, Argentina 19 China 12, South Africa 26 Brazil 12. Sunday, March 29, 2026: China v Kenya, Argentina v South Africa, Spain v Brazil, South Africa v China, Argentina v Spain, Brazil v Kenya.