Kenya Sevens teams will be fighting for survival in their respective play-off matches of USA Sevens tournament as they contest for places in the World Rugby Sevens Series, the annual series of international rugby sevens tournaments run by World Rugby, in Los Angeles.
Kenya Sevens men’s team ‘Shujaa’ finished ninth in the 12-team World Rugby Sevens Series this season to drop down to the promotion/relegation play-off tournament in Los Angeles, while Kenya Lionesses won the 2025 Challenger Series and are looking to gain promotion to the 2025/2026 World Rugby Sevens Series.
At the same time, Kenya Sevens talisman, Patrick Odongo, will be out to kill two birds with one stone in the men’s play-off, where Kenya Sevens players will be battling to retain their status as a core team in the world series for next season’s competition.
History also beckons Grace Okulu, the captain of Kenya Sevens women’s team Kenya Lionesses, who are on the cusp of qualifying to play in Women’s World Rugby Sevens tournament for the first as the team comes up against tricky opponents in the women’s play-offs.
The first is the Grand Finale that will involve the top eight in the men’s and women’s competitions in the 2024/2025 World Rugby Sevens series after conclusion of six legs.
Kenya's Nygel Pettersan Amaitsa celebrates scoring their first try with Vincent Onyala.
Photo credit: REUTERS
The second is the promotion/relegation competition that will feature four teams that finished at the bottom of the series in the regular season of the 2024/25 competition in men and women’s categories, and the top four teams from the 2025 Challenger Series in both men and women’s categories.
In Kenya’s case, Kenya men’s team Shujaa finished ninth to drop down to the promotion/relegation play-offs, while Kenya Lionesses won the 2025 Challenger Series.
Shujaa will take on Samoa from 9.28pm (Kenyan time) tomorrow in their first match in Pool ‘A’ before squaring it out with Portugal at 12.51am on Sunday. Shujaa will then renew rivalry with hosts USA at 9.28pm on Sunday.
Pool ‘B’ has Uruguay, Ireland, Germany and Canada.
The teams will be ranked upon completion of the pool stage matches heading to the quarter-final stage, where winners will automatically book tickets to the 2025/2026 World Rugby Sevens Series.
Kenyan fans will be watching Odongo’s performance in the series. The Kenya Sevens winger, who is lying third in the try scoring chart in the 2024/2025 series, will be hoping to emulate the performance of his fellow countryman, the legendary sevens speedster Collins Injera.
Injera, who has retired from playing, is the only Kenyan to have led in the try scorers’ chart, having scored 42 tries during the 2008/2009 World Rugby Sevens Series. This weekend, Odongo will be aiming to take a step closer to that performance. The 23-year-old has scored 20 tries and is ranked third behind leading try scorer Joji Masova (24) of Fiji, and Marcos Moneta (23) of Argentina.
Kenya Lionesses will take on Spain at 10.12pm tomorrow before squaring it out with Brazil and Colombia on Sunday at 1.35am and 8.44 pm respectively in Pool ‘A’ matches. China, South Africa, Ireland and Argentina make Pool ‘B’.
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman Sasha Mutai is confident that both teams will qualify for the world series next season.
Kenya Rugby Union Chairman Sasha Mutai address journalists during restructuring of their partnership in support of the men’s national 7s rugby team at RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi on November 13, 2024.
Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group
“Kenya Sevens teams have grown from strength to strength and they are no longer minnows, having improved their skill level,” said Mutai, adding that winning the Challenger Series after going unbeaten in two of the three legs is a statement that Kenya Lionesses are ripe for the big stage.
“Winning is a good feeling, and the players know that they should play for each other. That is the culture we have managed to cultivate in both teams,” said Mutai.
