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Kenya will need to do what they have not done this season, while hoping results elsewhere go their way to retain their core status
Kenya Sevens head into the penultimate leg of the World Rugby Sevens Series in Toulouse with the prospect of relegation real.
Shujaa have an uphill task to retain their core status which has stood since 2004 but to do that, they will need to do what they have not done this season, by reaching at least the semi-final while hoping results elsewhere go their way.
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20:42 - 05.05.2023
RUGBY Kenya 7s coach McGrath optimistic ahead of Toulouse and London assignments
Shujaa will open their campaign against Uruguay who are 11th placed in the Toulouse lag scheduled for May 12 to 14.
Kenya will be encouraged by what appears to be a favourable pool in Toulouse where they have series leaders New Zealand as well as closest challengers Uruguay and Canada. They will begin their assignment with a clash against Uruguay on Friday afternoon before facing New Zealand in the evening.
Many will be hoping that positive performances will be recorded in the first wo matches before the final group fixture against Canada on Saturday afternoon.
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14:00 - 04.05.2023
RUGBY Ksh136 million up for grabs for Kenya 7s in new one-day sevens tournament
The ticket prizes for the event will retail at Ksh7,500.
Shujaa needed a fourth-place finish in the last leg in Singapore which would have given them 15 points to get closer to the cut-off place, heading to Toulouse but they could only manage seven which left them 12 points behind Uruguay and 11 adrift of Spain.
That left Uruguay on 49 points and Spain on 48, meaning one of them has a good chance of finishing 11th and securing the final automatic place, while Kenya in 13th position on 37 points, have it all to do in Toulouse.
Kenya, therefore, need to collect a minimum of 15 points which would take their tally to 52 points while hoping that Uruguay finish down in 14th place and Spain manage just three points to leave both on 51.
That would see Kenya finish the leg in 11th position and dislodge Uruguay, hence retaining their core status.
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12:20 - 19.04.2023
RUGBY Good news for Shujaa? Onyala, Ashihundu return to training ahead of make-or-break Toulouse Sevens
The two players have been out with long-term injuries and could boost Kenya’s survival chances if they manage to get involved in the penultimate leg
However, 15 points mean reaching the Cup semi-final but given the season they have had, it is hard to see that happening since Shujaa have so far won just two group games from nine legs.
Coach Damian McGrath retained most of the players who excelled in Singapore for the Toulouse and London legs with the likes of Alvin Otieno, Brian Tanga, George Ooro, Kevin Wekesa, Tony Omondi and captain Nelson Oyoo all keeping their places and they will need to cut off their mistakes to have a chance at achieving their ambitions.
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12:00 - 29.04.2023
RUGBY Fast on many! Shujaa youngster Marube delighted with try on Rhinos debut
The Kenyan international announced his arrival in style as he touched down for the highly-fancied US-based rugby side
“The key to it all is can we eradicate our own mistakes which has been our Achilles heel. We’ve got a very simple plan that we hope suits what we have and we’ll try and follow it through,” McGrath said last week, while unveiling his squad.
Anything other than that will leave Shujaa to fight it out in the four-team playoff that involve the sides that finish in 12, 13 and 14th position plus the Challenger Series 2023 winners, a round robin tournament, where only one slot it at stake to join next season’s World Series.
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