Captain Grace Adhiambo speaks on bittersweet Africa Women’s 7s outing

Kenya Lionesses’ 7s captain Grace Adhiambo is still grappling with a rollercoaster of emotions after leading the side to the Africa Women’s 7s final played on October 15 in Tunisia. The competition also served as the qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The fierce ladies were looking to qualify for the third Olympics, having previously graced the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

The Dennis Mwanja-coached side defied the energy-snapping temperatures in Tunisia, to survive the pool stage and the semifinal, but sadly went down to South Africa 12-7 in the closely contested final.

They kicked off their campaign on a high, defeating Zambia 27-0, and heaped a 41-0 misery on Ghana, before surviving Madagascar 20-17 to proceed to the semifinals.

The hard-hitting ladies then saw off neighbors Uganda Lady Cranes 27-0 to book a final date with the South Africans, only for their dream to slip away after the heart-wrenching defeat.

In an exclusive with Mozzart Sport, the captain noted that despite not booking a direct spot at the Olympics, they were glad to reach the final stage. They will prepare for the repechage tournament penciled for next year, in an attempt to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

“The games were really good, and the emotions were very high to the ladies. we wanted to qualify for the 2024. Just reaching the final was a good step up for us,” Adhiambo averred.

For the Nakuru RFC star, their matches against Madagascar and Uganda greatly tested their skills.

“The games that stood out were Madagascar the games were very tough, but the ladies will stand out for it at some point. We were 5 players on the field, and another game was the Uganda game I mean, the game was really fast. As much as we lost in the finals it was also a really good match and we gave a very outstanding performance,” the captain offered.

From Tunisia, Adhiambo joined the 15s team in Dubai to further strengthen the squad. The team will be in search of their first win of the WXV3 tournament after falling to Spain (32-0), and Kazakhstan (18-12). They are set to tackle Colombia on Friday 27.

“Transforming from 7s to 15s is a great opportunity for me, and I will help the team and give support to my teammates,” the excited captain revealed.

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Commenting on their must-win fixture against Colombia, Adhiambo wished her teammates all the best, noting that they were now familiar with the Dubai terrain, and will be keen to shine.

The last meeting between Kenya and Colombia was in August 2021, and the Lionesses narrowly won 16-15. They will be looking to pick up from there and end their WXV3 campaign on a high.

The Lionesses are currently fifth with one point from two matches while Colombia occupies the sixth and bottom slot, pointless after two outings. Lionesses’ coach Paul Murunga also rallied behind his charges, noting that the players who joined the team from Tunisia have gelled with the rest of the team, and will be aiming at a win.

“It has been a good week in terms of training. We identified several areas we needed to fix after the Kazakhstan game. We’ve polished our plays, especially on attack. The girls must also be more confident when playing. We are expecting an equally tough game against them, and we will try and play an expansive game. We are pleased that our 7s players have gelled with the rest of the squad after they arrived from Tunisia and their input will be key to our game plan,” the former Kenya 7s tactician said.

The team finishing bottom of WXV 3 will play off against the next-best ranked side, according to the World Rugby Women’s Rankings as they stand following the final match of WXV that year.