This archive report was first published on 5 January 2020.
Kenya's national rugby sevens team, Shujaa, is gearing up for a packed year ahead, with the Hamilton Sevens tournament on January 25 and 26 in New Zealand marking the beginning of their campaign.
Shujaa is currently 11th on the World Sevens Series standings with 15 points, a significant improvement from their 2018-19 season performance.
After a festive season break, the team has resumed training and will be looking to build on their momentum from their Cape Town outing in December.
Paul Feeney's charges will feature at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan in July, with the Summer Games being their major assignment of the year.
With eight tournaments in four continents on their roster before they travel to Tokyo, Feeney will face the challenge of managing fatigue and injuries within his playing unit to avoid a disastrous showing in the quadrennial event, as witnessed in their debut in Rio in 2016.
Shujaa finished second from bottom in Rio, winning only one match, an 11th-place playoff against the hosts.
After competing in Hamilton, Kenya Sevens will travel to Sydney, Australia, and then head to Los Angeles, USA, and Vancouver, Canada in March.
Feeney has set a top-eight target in the 10-legged World Sevens Series, and if Shujaa's performance at the second leg last month is anything to go by, then the team is well on course to achieve that.
"We are looking to have a consistent season as we aim for a top-eight finish at the close of the 2019-20 campaign. I am happy with the blend of youth and experience in the squad," Feeney said in a past interview.
The conclusion of the Olympics will set the stage for Shujaa to defend their Africa Sevens title at a yet to be named venue, and Kenyans will also be seeking to keep the Safari Sevens trophy, currently held by their second-string squad, Morans.
