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Kenya falls to South Africa in continental Sevens final but earns spot in World Series
Kenya Lionesses scrum half Edith Naliaka in action against Costa Blanca Barbarians during the recent Safari 7s cup final at the Machakos Stadium. PHOTO/Alex Njue
Kenya Lionesses scrum half Edith Naliaka in action against Costa Blanca Barbarians during the recent Safari 7s cup final at the Machakos Stadium. PHOTO/Alex Njue

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Kenya Lionesses faced another heartbreak in the Women’s Africa 7s Cup final, falling 19-10 to South Africa, forfeiting the continental title but securing qualification to the 2024/25 World Rugby 7s Challenger Series.

Lionesses’ loss in the 12-team competition was unexpected, especially given a crucial one-player advantage for a total of four minutes during the cup final.

The tournament, held at the University of Ghana, was a repeat of the 2023 final where Kenya lost 12-7, missing out on the sole ticket to the Tokyo Olympic Games where only one African team participated.

In the final, the Lionesses had a four-minute overlap advantage due to two sin-bin penalties for South Africa.

Kenya started strong against their unbeaten opponents, capitalizing on a penalty deep in South Africa’s territory as winger Stella Wafula scored the opening try.

South Africa, however, remained composed and equalized through Malinga Ayanda, leveling the score at 5-5.

Despite the overlap created by a South African sin-bin for a high tackle, Kenya couldn’t capitalize, leaving the scores tied at 5-5 at halftime.

Lionesses took the lead again early in the second half, as Sinaida Nyachio set up Sharon Auma for a try, bringing the score to a brief 10-5 advantage.

However, Kenya’s defense was caught off-guard by a dummy from Zintle Mpupha, who assisted Felicia Jacobs in scoring under the posts.

A successful conversion gave South Africa their first lead of the match, which they maintained even after Mpupha received a second yellow card.

In a rushed attempt to take advantage of the extra player, the Lionesses lost possession and were punished with a third try. Mpupha, back from the sin-bin, set up the final try to seal the game 19-10.

In other matches, Uganda redeemed themselves from a semifinal loss to Kenya by defeating Madagascar 17-5 to finish third, joining South Africa and Kenya in qualifying for the upcoming World Challenger Series.

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