A realization of the fluidity of tournament rule changes by World Rugby and the possibility of a direct qualification to the next Olympics in Los Angeles, USA has prompted the Kenya national seven-a-side rugby team Shujaa to revise their focus for the next two tournaments. 

Initially, Shujaa’s intention was to finish among the top four of the newly introduced World Rugby Tier Two competition and qualify for the three-tournament championship that determines who plays in the eight-team top tier next season. They finished second to the USA at the completion of the third Tier Two tournament in Sao Paulo and qualified for the championship.

In Sao Paulo, Kevin Wambua, the Shujaa coach as well as most of the senior players told www.thesportsnewsarenaa.com that they would battle to finish among the top eight teams after three tournaments in Hong Kong, Spain and France and thereby return to the top flight.

Finished Seventh

Kenya finished seventh and if the competition would end today, they would be eligible to play in the Top Tier next season. But, before the championship, World Rugby made some interesting changes for the knock-out stage. 

The top two teams in each pool qualified for the quarter finals alongside the best two qualifiers. Under normal circumstances, losers in the quarter finals would battle it out for the fifth and sixth place play offs but in this tournament, World Rugby reserved those playoffs to teams that had a good track record at the pool stage which is how Fiji and Australia were paired off with Kenya dropping to the seventh and eight play-off against France.

It is on the basis of this that Shujaa resolved to gun for a win in the next two tournaments in Spain and France to avoid any doubts about their potential and more importantly, finish among the top four teams at the end of the championship to directly qualify for the Olympics.

Top Seeds

Since South Africa won the opening tournament in Hong Kong – their first ever Hong Kong title – and are top seeds for the next two tournaments by virtue of winning the regular top tier tournament, the possibility of having two African teams qualifying for the Olympics is realistic and could open up more possibilities for other African teams.

Kenya and South Africa renew their continental rivalry in Spain where they have been drawn in Pool A with Australia and Great Britain. They already played against Australia and South Africa in Hong Kong. 

Most of the players and the technical bench set their eyes past finishing among the top eight – which is still the priority, but have elevated their heights to a much higher finish. Wambua believes this is possible. In a previous interview with this portal, he stated that the players were hungry and destiny was in their hands. “They know what is at stake and are hungry,” he admitted.

Tough Draw

Interviewed by the Kenya media on arrival from Hong Kong, the team restated their ambitions despite a tough draw. At the back of their minds, the format for the final leg in France depends on the results in Spain.

So much can change between two tournaments and in Bordeaux, France, there is a possibility of a direct qualification to the semi-finals because the tournament comes only one week after the last one. This has been the case in the regular Tier eight season but again, World Rugby may change the rules.

Kenya Corner

In Hong Kong, it was reassuring to see the return of a vibrant ‘Kenya Corner’ that has been missing in the regular top tier tournaments. The base was briefly shifted to the Tier Two stands as Kenya battled with other teams to qualify for the championship. Players did not fail to recognize the eighth player – the fans.

Earlier this week, www.thesportsnewsarena.com learned that a light strain on the ankle of lethal winger Patrick Odongo resulted in his being rested in Hong Kong. Odongo will be back in training when the team resumes and is likely to be in Europe for the next two legs.

Draw for Valladolid, Spain

May 29-31

Men

Pool A: South Africa, Australia, Kenya, Great Britain; Pool B: Argentina, New Zealand, Uruguay, Germany; Pool C: Spain, Fiji, France, USA.

Standing: South Africa (20), Argentina (18), Spain (16), New Zealand (14), Fiji (12), Australia (10), Kenya (8), France (6), Uruguay (4), Great Britain 3), Germany (2), USA (1).

Women

Pool A: New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Argentina; Pool B: Australia, USA, Fiji, South Africa; Pool C: France, Canada, Spain. Great Britain.

Standing: New Zealand (20), Australia (18), France (16), Canada (14), USA (12), Japan (10), Fiji (8), Spain (6), Brazil (4), Great Britain (3), Argentina (2), South Africa (1).