Los Angeles7s: Shujaa roar back as Lionesses suffer back-to-back defeats

Kenya’s national rugby sevens sides experienced contrasting fortunes at the Los Angeles Sevens, with Shujaa bouncing back in style while the Lionesses suffered back-to-back defeats in their HSBC Challenger Series playoff campaign played on Sunday, 4 May at the Dignity Health Sports Park.

Shujaa reignited their knockout round hopes with a spirited 26-14 comeback win over Portugal in their second group match.

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Having narrowly lost 19-12 to Samoa in their opening clash, the pressure was on for Kevin Wambua’s side to deliver.

Portugal, another side from the Challenger Series, struck first through Duarte Morais, whose converted try gave them a 7-0 halftime lead.

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But Kenya turned the tide in the second half, inspired by Kevin Wekesa. He powered over for the equalizer, converted by Anthony Omondi, before adding a second after linking up with Samuel Asati. Omondi made it 14-7.

Nygel Amaitsa added a third try in the 12th minute and converted it himself, taking his tournament tally to three.

Patrick Odongo, who is one of the leading try scorers this season, sealed the result with a fourth try that marked his 21st this season. Though Omondi missed the final conversion, Kenya had done enough to seal the win.

Portugal managed a late consolation through Max Coutts, but it was not enough to threaten Kenya’s control.

The victory puts Kenya level with Samoa at four points, while the USA leads the group with six. Shujaa will face the hosts in a decisive final group match at 9:20 p.m. EAT as they chase a spot in the knockout stages.

Lionesses suffer consecutive losses

Kenya Lionesses endured a difficult start to their HSBC Challenger Series playoff journey, losing 33-14 to Spain in their opener before falling 28-10 to Brazil.

In the first game, Spain raced to a 14-0 halftime lead through tries by Marta Cantabrana and Stela Juana, both converted by Carmen Miranda.

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Kenya fought back through Freshia Oduor and later Grace Okulu, but Spain remained dominant, scoring five tries in total to take the win.

Against Brazil, Kenya started brightly with a third-minute try from Sheila Chajira, but Brazil hit back through Bianca Silva and a commanding performance from Raquel Kochhann, who contributed with two conversions and a try.

Phoebe Otieno’s late yellow card allowed Brazil to exploit the extra space, sealing a 28-10 win despite a late consolation try from Sinaida Nyachio.

The Dennis Mwanja-coached side will now turn their focus to their final Pool A clash against Colombia on Sunday at 8:44 a.m. EAT.

With only the top four teams from the playoffs advancing to the newly structured 2026 HSBC SVNS Division 2, the match will be pivotal for Kenya’s promotion hopes.