Can Shujaa survive the rumble and tumble of a competitive World Sevens Series in 2025?
That is the big question on most lips of rugby fans and pundits after the team retained its core status with a swashbuckling display in Madrid in June last year.
The top eight will retain core status for the 2025-2026 season come the end of the season while teams that finish 9-12 will have to beat the top four sides from the Challenger Seven Series to join the elite rugby nations.
Kevin Wambua’s charges had mixed fortunes to the start of the 2024-2025 World Seven Series, placing 10th and eighth respectively in the two opening tournaments in Dubai and Cape Town.
Assistant coach Louis Kisia believes the best is yet to come from the young vibrant side.
“It’s a young side as most of the players had never played in the series. Of course, there was an element of stage fright but I am glad that is out of the way after the first two tournaments. I believe the boys confidence will get better once they play more events and show their worth,” added Kisia.
The Impala tactician and former Mwamba and Strathmore coach said there can be no margin for error, especially with the series whittled down to seven tournaments with the Grand Finale set for May in Los Angeles.
“Every team is fighting for a top eight slot to avoid the promotion and relegation playoff later in the season. So the boys must be at their best from the first tournament to the last and ensure we are in the top eight of every tournament,” he said.
Kisia opined that having played the Olympics, Challenger and Africa Cup Sevens in the last 12 months, the experience and maturity in the team is beginning to show.
“The side has grown and we are not where we were in 2023. Steadily, I can see the side is improving in all facets of play,” he observed.
Kisia said the potential in the team is vast, especially, when you consider the profile of some of the players.
“We are just scratching the surface in terms of performances. When you look at the likes of Patrick Odongo, Nygel Amaitsa, William Mwanji, Ben Salem and Brian Mutua just to mention a few of them, they have so much to offer. With time they will come good and be household names like the many who have donned the Kenyan shirt before,” he noted.
Former skipper Andrew Amonde, who is the team’s strength and conditioning coach, believes decision-making will be vital.
“If we can make the right decisions with and without the ball, stick to our structure and be tactical in our play, we will survive this season. The boys are eager to learn and hungry for results,” he said.
A veteran of 358 matches for Shujaa in a decorated 15-year stint, Amonde said the team has to learn quickly.
“Sevens rugby is unforgiving. If you are not switched on, you get punished but I am glad the boys are learning the lessons very fast,” noted Amonde.
Shujaa co-captain Samuel Asati said competition for places in the team is keeping senior players on their toes.
“It’s healthy for the team as everyone wants a starting position. So if you slack off, chances are that you may never get the jersey again,” added Asati.
The KCB playmaker said sponsorship deals with Sportpesa and MPesa will boost the players’ efforts.
“It’s great for the two giants to come on board with good packages for the players and we promise we will not disappoint them,” said Asati.
Kenya Rugby Union chairman Alexander Mutai said they plan to send the second-string side, Morans, to satellite Sevens tournaments.
“One of our biggest challenges for the longest time has been the lack of a feeder programme for Shujaa. However, with the sponsorships that have come through, we can now look at identifying various tournaments and see how Morans can complement Shujaa. It’s what most countries do to maintain continuity in their Sevens programme,” Mutai said.
Shujaa had a rollercoaster in 2024, winning the Dubai Challenger tournament after beating Chile 12-5 in the final.
In the pool stages, Kenya thrashed Mexico ( 41-0 ) and Uganda ( 29-7 ) but fell 24-12 to Germany.
In the quarters, they edged Japan 27-5, eliminated Uruguay 27-5 in the semifinals and beat Chile 12-5 in the decider.
From Dubai, Shujaa moved to Montevideo, Uruguay, where they beat Portugal 19-12 but suffered a shock 17-0 loss to Georgia before bouncing back to beat Tonga 17-14.
In the quarter, Kenya edged Uganda 7-5 only to see their hopes derailed by Hong Kong in the semifinals —going down 21-14.
In the bronze medal match, Shujaa beat Chile 31-12.
In the final Challenger tournament in Munich, Germany in May, Kevin Wambua’s charges beat Japan 28-12, Portugal 33-5 and Chile 17-12.
In the last eight, they came unstuck losing to Germany 19-17 but had done enough to be in the top four teams with a points haul of 48 that saw them qualify for the Madrid quarter-final alongside winners Uruguay, Chile and Germany.
Shujaa had a week camp in Miramas, France, polishing their skills and acclimatising to the weather in readiness for the Madrid showdown.
At the Wanda Metropolitano, Shujaa got off to a perfect start with a tense 19-12 win over Samoa before a narrow 10-5 loss to the hosts Spain in their second match.
They then blew away Chile 36-7 to set up a winner take-all clash against Germany.
Shujaa came to the fore after annihilating the Europeans 33-15.
At the Paris Olympics Shujaa finished ninth overall after classification wins over Uruguay 19-14 and Samoa 10-5.
In the preliminaries, Kenya lost 31-12 to Argentina, 21-7 to Australia and 26-0 drubbing at the hands of Samoa Kenya Lionesses missed out on the Challenger Series finals in Madrid after finishing fifth and will have another shot at it this year’s event when the series kickoffs in Cape Town in February.
On the local scene, after a 12-year wait, Quins won the Sevens circuit with 110 points.
Paul Murunga’s charges finished five points ahead of Kabras with KCB third on 94 points On the 15’s front, Kabras Sugar maintained its dominance by winning the Kenya and Enterprise Cup for the third year in a row.
The Kakamega-based side finished unbeaten for
two consecutive years and are on
odds favourites to make it four in a
row this year.
