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Five things learnt from Kenya Sevens' second challenger series tournament in Uruguay.
The race to qualify from the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 took a potentially decisive turn in Montevideo this weekend ahead of what is going to be a monumental last tournament in May.
Shujaa managed to maintain their primary objective of finishing in a top four position in Montevideo, but their women counterparts, Lionesses, dropped considerably from second in Dubai to eighth in Uruguay, making their last tour in Poland a very critical one if they are to stand a chance of making the top of World Sevens rugby.
Amidst the fact that some of the games were played during wee hours of the morning (from a Kenyan timezone and perspective), it would have been understandably difficult to keep tabs with everything that was going on in Uruguay.
Luckily enough, it was still possible to draw what was learnt from Kenya’s adventure in Uruguay. Here are some of the lessons learnt from the tournament.
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1. Newbies take their chances
Going into the tournament, Shujaa head coach Kevin Wambua had decided to shake up the squad by making five changes to the team.
He brought back Ben Salem of Nondies and Dennis Abukuse to the setup, while Chrisant Ojwang, Lamec Ambetsa and Elvis Olokusi were also handed their maiden call-ups.
Patrick Odongo, the top scorer with 11 tries in Dubai, was ruled out through injury, with reserve scrum half Brian Tanga also missing out through illness.
Festus Shiasi, William Mwanji, and Brian Mutugi were the other three players dropped from the main squad.
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Some of the new faces took their chances, most notably Lamec Ambetsa, who did considerably well in Odongo’s place from the flank and scored two tries.
Salem was the break-glass-in-case-of-emergency impactor, who changed the game for the side whenever there were signs of trouble.
This should give Wambua selection headaches when the next tournament in Munich takes place in May.
2. Shujaa find it difficult against speedy opponents
Shujaa nonchalantly managed to win the opening tournament in Dubai by beating all their opponents -barring Germany- to claim the victory.
Heading into Uruguay though, they were pooled alongside teams they had not faced for a considerable amount of time.
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They had not played Tonga since the London playoff tournament in May 2023, while with Portugal, it was they first time they got to play them. Georgia, the team who brushed them aside 19-0 in their second game of the pool, were also relatively unfamiliar foes.
As it turned out, they had to fight to beat Portugal, whose sidesteppers had made it difficult for them to stop, while Georgia were just too physical to handle.
They lost to Hong Kong in the semi-finals due to concentration lapses, as they scored two goals directly from line outs, which is something Wambua and his coaching staff must work on ahead of the Munich tournament, from where another top-four finish will see them take part in the Challenger series in Uruguay.
3.Patrick Odongo’s pace was sorely missed
Unsurprisingly, Shujaa were predictable in Uruguay and lacked a sufficient outlet from the flanks whenever they found themselves in attacking situations.
Although Ambetsa did a good job, he was not able to replicate Odongo’s 11-try-dominant display in Dubai, showing how bad the Daystar Falcons speedstar was missed.
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Odongo is currently stepping up his recovery from a six-week jaw injury and should be back by the Munich tournament in May, and his return will be vital.
4.Worrying drop for Lionesses
Dennis Mwanja’s Kenya Lionesses alarmingly dropped from second in Dubai to eighth in Uruguay, which left them dropping to fifth place in the overall rankings, and they have work to do if they are to stand a chance of finishing in the top four positions ahead of the showdown in Madrid.
They are also yet to qualify for the Olympics unlike their male counterparts, but have gotten so much exposure so far, which head coach Dennis Mwanja had revealed would help the team in the long run.
When they play in Poland in May in what will be a stand-alone women’s challenger tournament, they will be hoping they can replicate their performance in Dubai in order to finish in the top four places.
5.Shujaa just two tournaments away from promotion
Following their Uruguay experience, Kenya are second in the pool behind Uruguay and on course for the Madrid playoff, keeping their desire to return to the top at the first time of asking alive.
However, the challenger has proven to be a tricky affair, with teams showing how competitive they can be. However, Kenya, who are already in the Olympics and desire to medal in Paris for the first time in history, stand a legitimate chance of returning to the top for next season.
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