Kenya Lionesses Sevens head coach Dennis Mwanja has urged his charges to put in a good display at the Poland Challenger Series in the hopes of qualifying for the World Sevens Series promotion playoffs in Madrid, Spain, in a fortnight.
The Lionesses will seek to bounce back from a dismal show in Uruguay in March, where they bagged a paltry six points to drop from second to fifth on the log with 24 points.
China top the standings with 40 points followed by Argentina (34), Uganda (28) and Belgium (28). The top four teams will qualify for the Madrid showpiece.
The Lionesses target the final in Poland and hope other results go their way.
Mwanja, the KCB assistant coach has earmarked decision-making and defence for improvement to keep their hopes alive.
"Our performance in Uruguay was lethargic. The girls did not show effort. But we have worked on our decision-making, attack and defence," said Mwanja.
“The girls know what is at stake. It's a key tournament. Our mission this year was two-fold, to qualify for the World Seven Series and the Olympics,” noted Mwanja.
The Lionesses failed to stamp their ticket during the African qualifiers and will seek Paris Olympics qualification at the next month's repechage in Monaco."
The squad arrived in Krakow on Monday to acclimatise to the European weather conditions and adapt to the playing surface.
"We have settled well. The weather conditions are similar to back home — rain and sunshine. We have acclimatised well. We will have the captain's run on Friday," said Mwanja.
The Lionesses face hosts Poland, Belgium and Mexico in Pool 'C'.
Skipper Sheila Chajira said they want to atone for the poor display in Uruguay by going as far as possible in Poland.
"It's time to bounce back and show everyone what we are made of," said Chajira.
Freshia Oduor and Edith Nairaka are set for their Challenger debuts.
The top four teams from the Challenger Series will meet Japan, Brazil, South Africa and Spain in Madrid.
