Kenya Sevens head coach Damian McGrath has expressed satisfaction with Kenya's performance in the just-ended World Sevens Series in Los Angeles.
The team bagged 13 points after finishing sixth overall and the tactician believes they have laid down a foundation for future performances for next season.
“All round, It was a good performance. We have improved in certain aspects of the game but there is room to do even. Next year, we hope to be consistent across the ten legs of the series," he said.
The Englishman, who took over the team in April following lacklustre performances in the first half of the season, said he will give opportunities to players who performed well in the national Sevens circuit for next season.
"I went round the country during the circuit and I expect competition for places to be intense. This bodes well for our future,” he added.
McGrath said the focus of the team now shifts to the Rugby World Cup Sevens, which kickoffs in Cape Town, South Africa from September 9-11
'It's going to be a competitive World Cup, especially with the format which is knockout. We must play our best rugby from the start until the finish,” he added.
Shujaa open their campaign against Tonga in the preliminaries and a win will see them face Argentina in the round of 16.
In what was an underwhelming season for Shujaa, the team finished 12th overall with 49 points making it to the Main Cup quarterfinals three times—twice in Dubai and once in Los Angeles.
Shujaa got off to a poor start, losing to Samoa 33-14 before bouncing back to beat England 19-14 and Scotland 20-10 to book their spot in the last eight.
In the quarter-final, Shujaa were put to the sword by eventual series champions Australia, losing 40-14 to drop to the classification match against hosts USA, where they won 21-14. Alvin Otieno, Daniel Taabu and Edmond Anya scored a try each.
The hosts were awarded a penalty try for infringement alongside a five-pointer by Steve Tomasin. In the fifth place playoff final, Kenya were no match for Argentina losing 29-7.
Tony Omondi scored and converted his own try as the South Americans scored four tries courtesy of Franco Sabato, Tomas Lizazu(2) and Matthew Osadsczuk. The team arrives on Tuesday night.
