Kenya Sevens have been drawn against powerhouses South Africa, Scotland and France in the next month’s Hamilton Sevens in New Zealand.
Shujaa, who picked three points for the beating Wales 33-26 in the 13th place final and also recorded a 31-19 win over Zimbabwe lie 14th on the log with four points and coach Paul Murunga must ensure his charges amass as many points as possible in the next two legs in Hamilton and Sydney to stave of the fears of relegation.
Key players, who include talisman Collins Injera, Andrew Amonde, Willy Ambaka, Sammy Oliech and Nelson Oyoo are expected for the next two tournaments after sitting out of the opening tournaments as they were playing at the World Cup repechage in France
Murunga said he was impressed with the performance of some of the rookies in the squad including Johnstone Olindi who scored a hat-trick in the match against Wales, Sammy Taabu and Eric Ombasa.
“The likes of Olindi, Taabu and Ombasa really put their hand up and it bodes well for the future of the Kenya Sevens team that we have exciting players going forward,” added Murunga.
The coach was delighted that his side picked two wins out of six matches after going win-less run in the opening leg in Dubai last weekend. “Overall, our performance improved. The scores were much closer especially against England, France and even Argentina. The young players in the side have adapted quickly and we are headed in the right direction,” added Murunga.
Skipper Eden Agero said that the defence needs to change tactics especially when it comes to one on one tackles and alignment. “We had lapses in concentration at critical times in the match and therefore we need to address that. We do have the next couple of weeks to sort it out,” added Agero.
The team was expected back in the country last night from Cape Town.
Standings—USA 38 , New Zealand 37, Fiji 35, England 30, South Africa 29, Australia 25, Scotland 20, Argentina 18, Spain 18 , Samoa 15, France 12, Canada 10, Wales (five), Kenya (four), Japan (three).