All to play for as Kenya Sevens head to final leg of HSBC World Championship
Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 05.06.26. | 09:07
Shujaa have experienced a topsy-turvy campaign this season, producing moments of brilliance but struggling to maintain consistency across tournaments
Kenya Sevens will head into the final leg of the 2026 HSBC SVNS World Championship in Bordeaux, France, knowing that their place among the world’s elite rugby sevens nations hangs in the balance in the tourney that kicks off from Friday, 5 to Sunday, 7 June.
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Kevin Wambua’s side currently sits eighth on the overall standings with 14 points and must remain inside the top eight bracket after the Bordeaux tournament to secure automatic qualification to the 2027 HSBC SVNS Series.
Shujaa have experienced a topsy-turvy campaign this season, producing moments of brilliance but struggling to maintain consistency across tournaments.
Their first outing in Hong Kong highlighted both sides of their season. Kenya suffered defeats to New Zealand (28-12) and Australia (14-5) in the pool stages before bouncing back with a crucial 17-10 victory over the United States to qualify for the quarter-finals as one of the two best third-placed teams.
However, their quest for silverware ended in the last eight following a narrow 26-22 loss to South Africa. They recovered strongly to defeat hosts France 21-7 and secure a seventh-place finish.
A similar script unfolded in the second leg in Valladolid, Spain. Kenya opened the tournament with a heartbreaking 15-10 sudden-death defeat to Australia before losing 14-0 to South Africa. They responded with a gritty 12-7 win over Great Britain to book a quarter-final clash against Australia.
The Australians once again proved too strong, claiming a 21-0 victory, before France defeated Kenya 14-5 in the classification match to leave Shujaa eighth overall in the tournament.
The focus now shifts to Bordeaux, where Kenya face a challenging Pool A assignment. Shujaa open their campaign against Fiji on Friday at 3:44 pm. The Pacific Islanders sit fourth on the standings with 28 points and have historically dominated the fixture, winning 20 of the 29 meetings between the two nations.
Kenya will then renew their rivalry with South Africa at 9:36 PM. The Blitzboks have defeated Shujaa in both encounters this season, although Wambua has previously expressed confidence that the gap between the two sides is steadily narrowing.
The final pool match will see Kenya take on Great Britain on Saturday at 11:44 AM in what could prove decisive in their quest for a quarter-final place.
The tournament format will see the top two teams from each pool advance directly to the Cup quarter-finals, alongside the two best third-placed teams. The knockout rounds will be played across Saturday and Sunday.
Wambua has largely retained the squad that competed in Spain, with Kabras RFC youngster Jackson Siketi coming in to replace the injured Nygel Amaitsa, who picked up an injury during last weekend’s final pool match against Great Britain.
Elsewhere, Pool B features Australia, Spain, the United States and Uruguay, while Pool C consists of Argentina, New Zealand, hosts France and Germany.
The Bordeaux Sevens will bring the curtain down on the 2026 HSBC SVNS World Championship season, with both the men’s and women’s world titles set to be decided at Stade Atlantique.
While the battle for championship honours will dominate headlines, Kenya’s focus will firmly be on securing a top-eight finish and preserving their place in the HSBC SVNS Series for another season.