BRING IT ON

Shujaa out to bounce back as Sevens Series hots up in Vancouver

Kenya picked up a solitary point from the tournament and currently sit in 13th place on the log with 22 points..

In Summary

•Kenya were on the verge of their maiden Main Cup quarterfinal last weekend after a stunning 12-7 win over powerhouses Australia in their opening match.

•. Damian McGrath's charges open their campaign against World and Olympic champions Fiji on Friday at 10:52 EAT.

Kenya sevens Alvin Otieno brushes off the Canadian defence at last weeks Los Angeles sevens
Kenya sevens Alvin Otieno brushes off the Canadian defence at last weeks Los Angeles sevens
Image: FILE

Shujaa will be seeking to bounce back from an underwhelming performance at the Los Angeles Sevens as they prepare for Vancouver this weekend.

Kenya were on the verge of their maiden Main Cup quarterfinal last weekend after a stunning 12-7 win over powerhouses Australia in their opening match.

However, they succumbed 19-5 to Fiji and a shock 7-5 defeat to minnows Japan to drop to the classification matches.

Kenya picked up a  solitary point from the tournament and currently sit in 13th place on the log with 22 points.

Damian McGrath's charges open their campaign against World and Olympic champions Fiji on Friday at 10:52 EAT.

Shujaa and the Pacific Islanders have clashed three times this season with the Fijians winning all their three encounters— 19-5 last weekend in Los Angeles, 21-7 in Hamilton, New Zealand in January, and a narrow 21-17 win in Dubai in December. 

Kenya face Great Britain next on Saturday morning (4:54 am) in their second preliminary match. The two sides met at the Dubai Sevens in December with the match ending 14-14. 

Shujaa's final match will be against Uruguay on Saturday (11:20 pm). The two sides met twice with each winning once. 

Kenya won 24-19 in Sydney in January this year and the South Americans carved out a 10-7 win in the season opener in Hong Kong in November.

Head coach Damian McGrath said they have reviewed the areas which went wrong last week in Los Angeles and hoped the side can qualify for the Main Cup quarters.

“Our decision-making needs to improve. Against Japan, we had several chances to win but we took the wrong option and it cost us," he said. 

McGrath said the side has adjusted to the cold and windy conditions expected for the three-day tournament.

“We arrived on Monday and we have had three robust training sessions adjusting to the different climate and ensuring the players are in good condition," observed McGrath.

Skipper Nelson Oyoo termed the pool tricky but said they will make adjustments to ensure they qualify for the final eight.

“We have addressed some of the issues that affected us in Los Angles and we hope we can put up an impressive performance in Vancouver.