• Morans win title for the first time since 2002
• Skipper Jeff Oluoch leads from the front as he inspires his team
Kenya Morans upset three-time world Sevens series champions South Africa 19-14 to bag the Safari Sevens title at the RFUEA ground yesterday.
It was sweet revenge for the hosts, who had lost to the Blitzbokke 17-12 in the pool stages on Saturday. Morans started the game strongly, pinning the visitors to their own half and dominating possession and territory.
It came as no surprise when teenage sensation Geoffrey Okwach showed the Blitzbokke defence a clean pair of heels to touch down with Johnstone Olindi kicking over the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
The hosts were relentless and did not give South Africa any breathing room as they battled and scrapped hard in both the contact and breakdowns. Skipper Jeff Oluoch, who led from the front, scored Morans' second try as he bulldozed his way to the try-line for an unconverted try to send the thousands of fans into ecstasy.
Alvin 'Buffa' Otieno, who was a threat with the ball in hand, scored Morans' third try with Olindi converting for a 19-0 lead at the interval.
On resumption, Morans continued with their onslaught but poor decision-making cost them a further two tries which would have sealed the game.
That opened the door for the South Africans, who came roaring back with Dival Enslin sprinting away from the Kenyan defence to score at the centre with Darren Adonis slotting home the conversion to reduce the margin at 19-7.
The visitors were not done yet and on the stroke of full-time, James Murphy crossed the whitewash to touch down with Adonis slotting home the conversion for a 19-14 final score.
Morans had edged Russia sevens academy 24-10 in the semifinals while South Africa had edged Shujaa 19-5 in a tough semifinal. Shujaa beat Russia sevens Academy 19-5 to finish third.
French Sevens champions Seventise beat Samurai 19-10 to win the fifth-place playoff match. Western Province defeated Uganda 29-12 to win Challenge trophy
Siviwe Soyizwapi of South Africa was named Most Valuable Player and joint top points scorer alongside Okwach.