This archive report was first published on 8 December 2019.
On December 6, 2019, Kenya's national Sevens team, Shujaa, took to the field at the Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens 2019 men's competition. The team's performance was marked by a mix of promising moments and disappointing losses.
Shujaa's inability to hold their own against top opposition proved costly, as they finished 13th at the Dubai Sevens. The tournament, which was the opening round of the 2019-20 World Sevens Series, concluded on December 8, 2019.
Despite losses to sevens powerhouses South Africa and England, Shujaa's 22-19 defeat by lowly Spain in their last Pool D match on December 6, 2019, left a lot to be desired. However, the team's 26-14 win over Scotland in the 13th place playoff was a slight improvement from last year's showing.
Under the guidance of new coach Paul Feeney, Shujaa showed signs of improvement, particularly in their ability to keep the margins decent in their defeats. This was a significant improvement from last season, when the team conceded 150 points in five matches. In contrast, this year's edition saw the side concede 65 points in four fixtures.
The returning William Ambaka and Billy Odhiambo made their first appearance in the series after missing last season due to a contractual wrangle with the Kenya Rugby Union. However, the duo is yet to hit the ground running, failing to cross the whitewash.
Shujaa's win against Scotland was marked by a strong performance from Andrew Amonde, who set up Daniel Sikuta for a try in the sixth minute. Vincent Onyala also scored a try, taking the lead to 14-0 at the break. The team's performance was a promising sign for the 10-legged series, which heads to Cape Town, South Africa next weekend.
