Kenya Sevens speedster Patrick Odongo en route to scoring a try at the Safari Sevens/HANDOUT National rugby Sevens team, Shujaa, made history at the Nyayo Stadium after clinching their fourth consecutive Safari Sevens title with a hard-fought 14-7 victory over touring side Shogun in a tense final.
This marks Shujaa’s 13th overall Safari title since the tournament’s inception in 1996. On the women’s side, the Kenya Lionesses reclaimed the title with a gritty 14-10 win over neighbours Uganda in an entertaining final.
The men’s final saw Shogun strike early, with Spanish international Conscuella Francesco crossing the line straight from the kickoff. Rocaries Gabriel added the extras to give the visitors a 7-0 lead.
Despite the early setback, Kenya stayed composed. Captain George Ooro and Kevin Wekesa led a relentless charge, but Shogun’s defence held firm during a frenetic first half. Momentum shifted when Noah Canepa was shown a yellow card for a high tackle, reducing Shogun to six men.
Kenya capitalised on the numerical advantage. Samuel Asati took a quick tap penalty and fed Nygel Amaitsa, who sliced through the Shogun defence to score. He converted his own try to level the scores 7-7 at halftime.
The second half was an intense battle of defences. However, Shujaa’s pressure paid off in the dying minutes when substitute Floyd Wabwire weaved his way past a tiring Shogun defence to score under the posts. Amaitsa added the conversion to seal a 14-7 win.
Head coach Kevin Wambua praised his players for their resilience.
“The matches were physical, but credit to the mentality of the boys. They never gave up. We stuck to our structure and our plan,” he noted after the final.
In the semifinals, Shujaa overcame a spirited Zimbabwe side 29-19 in a see-saw contest. Festus Shiasi, Patrick Odongo, Ooro and Amaitsa scored a try each, while Vincent Onyala sealed the win with a fifth.
In the quarterfinals, Shujaa were dominant, thrashing Nyati 40-0.
Shogun, on their path to the final, edged past Kenya Morans 14-12 in a dramatic semifinal, after defeating French Renegades 31-5 in the quarters.
Morans bounced back to finish third, beating Zimbabwe 19-12 in the bronze medal match.
The Lionesses battled to a 14-10 victory over Uganda to reclaim the women’s title. Edith Nariaka and Janet “Shebesh” Owino scored a try each.
In the semifinals, Lionesses edged Shogun 12-10, while Uganda pulled off a stunning 17-12 upset against defending champions Costa Blanca of Spain.
