Kenya Lionesses head coach Dennis Mwanja believes his charges need more international exposure if they are to qualify for the World Seven Series and 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The Lionesses finished fourth overall at the just concluded Challenger Sevens Series in Chile, missing out on automatic qualification to the 2022/2023 World Seven Series starting in November.
The former international said, “The tournament was a good outing for us. The girls got to play and gauge themselves against very worthy opponents. We all believe this is the level Kenya Lionesses should be playing, and how we pray we could get more exposure."
"While the others have the resources and facilities to get the relevant exposure, we are left to our own devices but nonetheless, the girls gave a good account of themselves,” added Mwanja.
He talked about the team’s spirit and determination, saying: “They were so determined to get to the World Sevens Series as they had faith that it would open doors to greater opportunities. The major take home is that we went down fighting."
The tactician observed that the squad has room for improvement.
"We are going to build up on that energy and continue working on our depth and skills going forward. We have a lot of potentials as this team is a mixture of youth and experience and I am looking at getting more younger players involved as we get back to the basics and work on fine skills in the team. This will eventually enable us to be very competitive as we prepare for the Olympic qualifiers,” he added.
Mwanja attributed the poor performances during the Africa Cup Sevens in Tunisia to a lack of adequate preparation.
"Prior to the Rugby Africa 7s in Tunisia, I had just been with the team for three weeks but I have had more concrete sessions with them since May and I believe there has been a significant turnaround and growth.
"I know with more support, the Lionesses can scale the heights of global rugby but this can only happen if there’s more women’s rugby being played across the board,” he concluded.
The Lionesses beat China 17-15 in their opening match, hammered African champions, South Africa 31-5, and edged Chile 15-5 to top their pool with a 100 percent record.
In the quarters, they edged Argentina 24-7 before losing to eventual winners Japan 22-15 in the semis.
