Shujaa’s revenge against New Zealand backfires, settling for 10th place in Perth 7s
By Lutta Njomo, January 26, 2025
Kenya 7s national team, Shujaa, ended their Perth 7s campaign by registering a narrow defeat against New Zealand in the ninth-place playoff played on Sunday, January 26, 2025.
Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua’s men lost the match 19-12 to settle for the 10th-place finish in the tournament in Australia.
Shujaa had contemplated meting revenge on All Blacks following their 29-14 loss in the opening pool match.
Despite putting on a spirited show and leaving a sizeable number of Kenyan fans in a frenzy at HBF Park in Western Australia, they failed to get the last laugh.
How it all played out
Kenya started the match on the front foot with players regaining possession from the start, building momentum from a scrum. A series of well-timed passes saw Dennis Abukuse force a New Zealand player into touch, but Kenya lost the resulting lineout and conceded an infringement.
From the ensuing scrum, New Zealand capitalized with the opening try. Wambua’s boys responded almost immediately through a converted try by Patrick Odongo, levelling the scores.
Vincent Onyala gave Kenya a slim lead with Shujaa ending the first half with a 12-7 advantage.
Everything crumbled in the second half with Andrew Knewstubb crossing the whitewash for a converted try. Dylan Collier extended the All Blacks lead with another try, exploiting gaps in the Kenyan defence.
Shujaa nearly levelled things up courtesy of Floyd Wabwire’s kick and chase but the referee ruled it out. At the blow of the final whistle, the scores were in New Zealand’s favour, 19-12.
FT score#Shujaa 12 – New Zealand 19
— Shujaa (@KenyaSevens) January 26, 2025
We wrap up our Perth 7s campaign in 10th place.
A MASSIVE APPRECIATION to our fans who've stood with us all through this weekend. 🇰🇪🇰🇪#HSBCSVNSPER #MpesaPowersKenya7s #SafaricomRugby #SportpesaNaShujaa pic.twitter.com/kd5XYd3wvh
Mixed results
This was their second defeat at the hands of New Zealand in a space of two days. Shujaa commenced the third leg of the World Sevens Series on Friday, January 24, 2025, where they fell to New Zealand (29-14) and Fiji (21-14).
Kenya 7s returned to winning ways on Saturday, January 25, 2025, with a commanding 19-5 victory over Uruguay before edging out the USA in a thrilling 26-21 encounter to book their spot in the ninth-place playoff.
Following the mixed series of results, Shujaa will now turn their focus to Vancouver 7s (Canada) slated for Friday, February 21, 2025, to Sunday, February 23, 2025.
It's the final play and Kenya need a try to level against New Zealand… 🤏#HSBCSVNS | #HSBCSVNSPER pic.twitter.com/lWOnJ6TXrp
— HSBC SVNS (@SVNSSeries) January 26, 2025