Kenya Sevens’ assistant coach Louis Kisia believes his charges will have to tweak their strategy if they are to excel in the second leg of the Challenger Series in Montevideo, Uruguay, in March.
After winning the first tournament in Dubai earlier this month, Shujaa are the top seeds and meet Tonga, Georgia and Portugal in a tricky Pool ‘A’.
The top two teams from each of the three pools will advance to the quarterfinals. Kisia admitted that his side will have to change tack to stay ahead of the pack.
“We will come up with a different approach and game plan. We will also bring in two or three new faces to give us something different as we try to see where we can hurt the opposition in Uruguay,” said Kisia.
He expects Tonga and Georgia to be physical and tipped Portugal to play with flair.
“We watched all the three teams in Dubai. Tonga have a physical side and play with the South Pacific structure like the Samoans and Fijians while Georgia are an upcoming side. Portugal play with a lot of width and speed. Shujaa can never be underrated either,” said Kisia.
To stay fresh and fit for the Uruguay leg, the players have been playing for their Kenya Cup sides for the past two weekends and will do so until February 10. They report to camp two days.
“The players are in good shape. Playing for their Kenya Cup teams has improved their fitness and shape. We will go into a small camp to intensify our preparation for the second leg after February 10,” he revealed.
The Strathmore Leos coach said they hope to leave early for the Uruguay leg, to acclimatise.
“It’s a 36-hour flight going through Dubai, then a long-haul flight to South America with a stop-over in Brazil. If we can get there a week before the tournament starts, we can shake off the jetlag,” noted Kisia.
Shujaa lead the standings with 20 points, two ahead of Chile with Uruguay third with 16 points. Germany and Japan are fourth and fifth with 14 and 12 points respectively.
Meanwhile, Kenya Lionesses will battle Belgium, Papua New Guinea and Hong Kong in Pool ‘B’.
The Lionesses are second on the log with 18 points, two behind China. Argentina are third with 16 points, two ahead of Uganda.
