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The Kenya Lionesses rugby sevens team’s dream of qualifying directly for the Paris 2024 Olympics games went up in smoke following a nervy 12-7 loss to continental arch-rivals South Africa in the Africa 7s cup hosted by Tunisia in Monastir on Sunday, October 15th.

Both teams were unbeaten in the 12-team qualifiers competition in Monastir prior to the decisive cup final that left Kenyan fans heartbroken as the team alongside fellow East Africans-cum-bronze-medallist-Uganda will now have to battle for the final and 12th slot to the Paris games through a repechage competition that will include the 1st and 2nd runners ups from other regional competitions from Asia, Europe, Oceania, North America and South America in the June 2024.

Previously the Kenya Lionesses finished second behind South Africa in both qualifiers and qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics games by virtue of the South African Sports and Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) withholding from sanctioning their women’s team participation despite meeting the qualification standards. 

South Africa as the favourites courtesy of beating Kenya 31-5 in the 2019 qualifiers on home soil, lived to expectations by scoring the opening points score through an unconverted try scored by Nadine Roos to lead 5-0 with a minute to spare in the first half that would end without a response after Kenya’s speedster Janet Okello was taken to touch at injury time to leave Kenya trailing by a try at the break.

The South African defence had literally man-marked Kenya’s top guns but were shocked on resumption of the second half when Grace Adhiambo set up Sharon Auma to beat four markers and score a crucial try that was converted by captain Grace to give Lionesses a priceless 7-5 lead that their opponent had not faced in the competition. South Africa’s response was almost immediate and they were ferocious in contesting Kenya’s rucks and earned a few turnovers successfully. 

Defensively the Lionesses were up to par and they were tested in the 9th minute when South Africa made a spectacular midfield break but captain Grace Adhiambo made a try-saving tackle that forced the ball carrier to knock the ball into Kenya’s territory. 

Coach Dennis Mwanja’s forces would launch counterattacks that would force their opponent to commit infringements including a high tackle and in the 11th minute Kenya gained crucial yards into their territory only for a double movement while on the ground dispossessed the ball and that gave the eventual winners the opportunity to attack and score the determinant try through a converted try scored by Maria Tshiremba to retake the lead through a 12-7 score that would remain unchanged at full time.

Will the South African Sports and Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) for the third straight time deny the South African women’s team a chance to feature in the Paris Olympics? SASCOC previously denied their women’s team their nod claiming the team ‘was too weak’ and preferred they qualified directly by finishing in the top four of the world women’s series instead but the current situation for their male counterparts could have the committee act otherwise.

South Africa men’s team did not qualify directly for the Paris games and the team was beaten 17-12 by Kenya Shujaa in the men’s qualifiers last month to leave the Olympics regulars to shift focus to the repechage competition in June next year while their women’s team remains their sure bet.

Should they forfeit the slot, automatically Kenya will replace them while bronze medal finalists Uganda and Zambia will head to the repechage next year.

Kenya had clawed Uganda 27-0 while South Africa had beaten Zambia 31-0 in the other semifinal.