Kenya Sevens concluded the Los Angeles 7s campaign in position six after losing 29-7 to Argentina in the fifth place play-off at Dignity Park.

Shujaa earned 12 points from the tournament and ended the season at position 12 with 49 points with their best seven finishes out of the nine tournaments in the 2022 season accounting for their final tally.

How the points were awarded

To take account of the impacts of the global COVID-19 pandemic which affected some teams’ ability to participate in some rounds of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022, and in the interests of fairness, a unique ranking points system was applied to the 2022 Series which sees only the best seven out of the nine tournament results count towards the Series ranking for each team.

Shujaa’s fifth-place opponents Argentina, along with Australia, Fiji, and South Africa, were one of four teams that could have won the overall series title if things had gone their way.

A loss to Samoa in the semis threw the Argentines out of the race for the title race but they overcame Kenya 29-7 to finish fifth.

Kenya trimmed the gap to 12-7 at halftime thanks to an Anthony Omondi converted try, but second-half scores from Tomas Lizazu (2) and Franco Sabato, as well as two Tobias Wade conversions, took Argentina home 29-7.

Kenya sevens now shifts focus to the Rugby World Cup scheduled for Cape Town next month.

New Zealand win LA 7s

A late Moses Leo try, converted by Kurt Baker – helped New Zealand beat Fiji 28-21 to win Los Angeles.

With these two great teams tied at 21-21 entering the final 60 seconds of a tense Cup final, it was going to take something exceptional to separate them – and Moses Leo delivered. Kurt Baker converted his try to give them a 28-21 victory.

The result was difficult for Fiji to accept because they undoubtedly contributed, with tries from Kaminieli Rasaku, Waisea Nacuqu, and Filipe Sauturaga.

Australia World 7s Series title

Australia won the men’s HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for the first time following an incredible day two of action in Los Angeles.

The 2022 series began in November of last year and culminated in the bronze medal match at Dignity Health Sports Park in California, USA, following nine tournaments.

Going into that match, Australia knew that if they won, they would have too many points for nearest competitors Fiji and South Africa, and they were correct.

They defeated Samoa 21-7 over the weekend to secure third place and, more importantly, the overall title.