Kenya 7s head coach Kevin Wambua has revealed the lineup for the upcoming Dubai 7s Invitational Tournament scheduled for December 1-3 in Dubai, UAE.

Wambua has chosen to stick with the core group that secured Olympic qualification by winning the Rugby Africa 7s in Harare, Zimbabwe.

Kenya 7s retain duo

Herman Humwa and Brian Mutugi maintain their positions from the successful Safari 7s. George Ooro, who missed the Safari 7s due to injury, makes a return to the Shujaa squad.

Vincent Onyala and Tony Omondi will co-captain the team. In the Men’s International Invitation Category, Shujaa is placed in Pool C alongside Speranza 22, R10C Selects, and Wailers.

Their pool stage kicks off at 2:40 p.m EAT on Friday, December 1, against R1OC Selects. Subsequently, they face Wailers at 2:20 p.m on Saturday, December 2, and conclude their pool stage with a match against Speranza 22 at 5:00 p.m on the same day.

The team enters the tournament on a high note after winning both the Africa 7s and Safari 7s. Shujaa secured the Safari 7s title with a 19-0 victory over Samurai at RFUEA Ground on Sunday, November 19, 2023.

Kenya 7s win Safari 7s

Patrick Odongo, a key player in Shujaa’s successful campaign, opened the scoring with the first try of the match. Despite not adding more tries, the team held the lead at halftime.

In the second half, Kevin Wekesa’s try, taking advantage of a numerical advantage, extended the lead to 12-0. Odongo sealed the victory with the final try, securing Shujaa’s status as Safari 7s champions once again.

The win was a setback for Samurai, who aimed to reclaim the title they last held in 2018 when they defeated Shujaa in the final.