Coach Louis Kisia said lapses in concentration and lack of accuracy hurt Kenya Morans as the Africa Cup Sevens concluded in Mauritius on Sunday.
Morans finished fourth after conceding a late try against Zimbabwe in the bronze medal playoff to lose 21-19. They lost 14-10 to Madagascar in the semifinals.
Kisia admitted they did not live up to expectations in the critical moments.
“The key moments eluded us. We played well in the first half of the game against Madagascar and led 5-0. We controlled possession and territory. The opposition had a man sent off, but still, we could not kill the game. They scored two quick tries and we were on the back foot from then on,” added Kisia.
The Impala tactician said lapses in concentration were to blame in the 21-19 defeat to Zimbabwe despite leading 19-7 midway through the second half.
“We played brilliant rugby in the first half, contained them, but could not convert one or two chances which came our way. This would have put the game beyond reach,” observed Kisia.
Morans try scorers against Madagascar were Chrisant Ojwang’ and Jackson Siketi, plus a conversion.
Ojwang’ and Dennis Abukuse (brace) scored against Zimbabwe, with Siketi kicking over two conversions.
The Morans had a superb start to the tournament.
They beat Cote d’Ivoire 36-0 in the pool opener with Floyd Wabwire scoring a hat-trick as Abukuse, Andrew Matoka and Felix Okoth added one each.
They made light work of Ghana, winning 33-0 as co-captain George Ooro scored twice. William Mwanji, Lameck Ambetsa, Ojwang’ and Wabwire were on the scoresheet too as Siketi added three conversions alongside Philip Okeyo’s one.
Kisia charges beat Uganda 12-5 in their final pool match, with Abukuse and Ooro scoring a try each.
In the quarterfinals, Kenya whitewashed Nigeria 43-12.
