DEJA VU

Shujaa to face Tonga in World Cup Sevens opener

A win for Damian McGrath's charges will see them face Argentina in the round of 16, according to the fixtures released by World Rugby.

In Summary

•This will be the second successive World Cup the two sides will be meeting with Kenya winning 19-7 in San Fransisco, USA in 2018.

•Significant in that tournament is that Shujaa never trained for three weeks leading to the event following a sponsorship row with Brand Kenya.

Kenya Sevens' vice captain Jeff Oluoch heads for the try-line against Wales at the Malaga Sevens in Spain over the weekend
Kenya Sevens' vice captain Jeff Oluoch heads for the try-line against Wales at the Malaga Sevens in Spain over the weekend
Image: HANDOUT

Shujaa will face Tonga in the opening match of the Rugby Sevens World Cup in Cape Town in September.

A win for Damian McGrath's charges will see them face Argentina in the round of 16, according to the fixtures released by World Rugby.

This will be the second successive World Cup the two sides will be meeting with Kenya winning 19-7 in San Fransisco, USA in 2018.

The format will be similar to the 2018 edition with knockout matches from the start to the final.

In other fixtures, Africa Sevens champions Uganda have a date with Samoa while runners-up Zimbabwe face Canada.

Fast-rising Ireland take on Portugal as Scotland take on Jamaica while Wales entertain South Korea.

Hong Kong meet Uruguay and Germany meet Chile.

Champions New Zealand, England, South Africa, Argentina, Olympic champions Fiji,  USA, Australia and France were handed byes to the round of 16 after qualification to the quarterfinals of the last event held in the USA in 2018.

Shujaa had a dismal campaign in 2018 despite winning their opening match against Tonga.

They lost 31-26 to Scotland in the round of 16 despite a huge lead in the early stages of the encounter.

Kenya dropped to the Challenge category where they lost 24-14to Ireland. Further losses followed in the Classification matches; 19-17 to Samoa and 26-14 to Japan.

Significant in that tournament is that Shujaa never trained for three weeks leading to the event following a sponsorship row with Brand Kenya.

Skipper Nelson Oyoo said the upcoming Commonwealth Games will be key in preparing for the World Cup.

"We have had an intense training period for the last month and confidence in the team is high. I am confident our results will improve going forward," said Oyoo.

The team will play at the Los Angeles Sevens tournament a week before the global extravaganza. Shujaa's best performances at the World Cup were reaching the semifinals in Dubai in 2009 and Moscow in 2013.