“SHUJAA’S PLAYOFFS HOPES HANG ON SINGLE BULLET”

Kenya’s Shujaa Rugby sevens are off to a rough start at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. This is after they lost their Maiden encounter against  Argentina who lashed them 31 to 12. Thereafter, The Kenyan Rugby flag bearers also lost their second fixture against Australia who thrashed Shujaa 21 to 7. These pool B fixtures went down on Wednesday, 24th of July 2024 at the Stade De France in Paris.

The two losses have placed Kenya Sevens in a challenging position. To advance as one of the top two third-place teams from the three pools, the team must decisively defeat Samoa by a significant margin. This outcome is crucial for Shujaa, recently promoted to the World Rugby Sevens Series, as it secures them a chance to progress to the quarterfinals and advance up the rankings.

On Wednesday, Australia defeated Samoa 21-14 in another pool B match. This victory secured Australia’s spot in the playoff quarterfinals, as their win over Kenya Sevens contributed to their advancement. On the other hand, Argentina also triumphed over Samoa with a score of 28-12 in their match.

Shujaa has been the first Kenyan team to get the action rolling at the Paris Summer Olympics of 2024.

Despite the setbacks from the two losses, Shujaa is hoping to  turn things around starting with their upcoming match against Samoa on Thursday, the 25th, at 3 PM.

Their presence in the Paris Olympics marks a significant moment for Kenya sevens as they aim to establish their grounds on the global rugby stage. They also aim at securing a medal for Kenya reinforcing the idea that they are the best in the sport. Shujaa also aims at dismissing questions raised about their prowess after being relegated from the world Rugby series in May last year. Previously, Kenya Sevens achieved 11th place at the 2016 Rio Olympics and 9th place at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. According to Coach Kelvin Wambua, the only way for his team in this Olympics is up.