Former Kenya Sevens skipper Andrew Amonde has tipped Shujaa to keep their core status in the World Rugby Sevens Series despite an underwhelming campaign.
The KCB veteran, who was last month enlisted by head coach Damian McGrath as set-piece tutor, said defence and agility will be key in the final two legs of the series.
"I have been with the team for the past month. We have looked at our scrum and line-out as well as defence, areas that have been our biggest setback this season. We have a short-term fix which I hope will work for the next two weekends," said Amonde.
Shujaa, who are 11th on the log with 37 points, face Uruguay, New Zealand and Canada in Pool 'A' of the Toulouse Sevens, which starts on Friday.
While urging the team to take one match at a time, Amonde said: "I have asked them to take it one step at a time, don't lose hope and keep fighting until the end."
Meanwhile, Amonde has urged the new KRU office to put up structures that will help Kenyan teams, especially Morans, play in various satellite Sevens tournaments in the hunt for exposure.
“For the longest time, I have been saying that we need to have a second team playing in various invitational tournaments. This way, we will bridge the gap between the first and second teams. Countries like South Africa, New Zealand, France and Fiji have second squads which, if called upon, can deliver. We need to do the same," added Amonde.
He also bemoaned Shujaa's lack of proper pre-season for the last five seasons.
“This has to change. The rest of the world has taken Sevens seriously since it's now an Olympic sport. Therefore, our preparations for the upcoming season have to be the best," he said.
Another former Kenya Sevens player, Eden Agero, has also been drafted on McGrath's bench, taking charge of kicking.
The 15th-ranked core team based on accumulated Series points following the 10th round in Toulouse will be relegated.
Teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th at the end of Toulouse will enter a four-team relegation play-off together with the Challenger Series 2023 winners Tonga at the 11th and final round of the Series in London.
The relegation play-off will be played in a round-robin format with the top two teams meeting in the final. The winner will become the 12th core team in the 2024 Series.
