Paris 2024: Where to watch Kenya Sevens as they aim for first ever Olympics pool victory

Kenya men's rugby 7s national team; Shujaa will kick off their 2024 Paris Olympics campaign on Wednesday, 24 July against back to back HSBC SVNS runner's up, Argentina.

For the first time ever, Rugby Sevens kicks off two days before the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

The men's competition will see preliminary and quarterfinal stages on July 24th and 25th, with a short break for the opening ceremony before the medal matches on July 27th.

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Shujaa face a stiff challenge in Pool B, competing against powerhouse teams like second-seeded Argentina, Australia, and Samoa.

Kenya Sevens will kickstart their campaign with a match against Argentina at 5:00pm (EAT) before ending the day with a clash against Australia at 8:00pm. They will complete their pool matches with a duel against Samoa on Thursday at 3:00pm.

Kenya vs Argentina - 5:00pm

This will mark the eighth meeting between the two sides since 2020 with Argentina dominating all the previous meetings. Their last meeting was during the 2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series where Argentina defeated Kenya 19-5. The Kenyans will be looking to break the jinx this time round.

Kenya vs Australia – 8:00pm

This will be the 12th meeting between the two familiar foes since the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Out of the 11 meetings, Kenya only managed two wins; during the 2019 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series and the 2023 edition which was their last meeting.

They have shared spoils twice with Australia winning the rest. The Kenyans will be keen to stage a repeat of last year’s meeting.

Kenya vs Samoa – Thursday, 3:00pm

These two sides are familiar opponents, having met nine times since 2020. Samoa dominated the majority of the matches winning eight out of nine. Kenya ended the eight-match losing streak on May 31 after seeing off their rivals 19-12 in the opening pool match thanks to Patrick Odongo’s brace. Should they stage a repeat of the HSBC SVNS promotion qualifier match, the Kenyans will surely pick a win.

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The team’s head coach Kevin Wambua is aware of the threat posed by their pool opponents, but expressed utmost belief that his charges will rise to the occasion.

"Argentina is strong by virtue of winning the world series (2023) last season but we have assessed them technically. We beat Samoa during the Madrid qualifier for the series. Australia have been up and down in the season but they know how to play at the Olympics," Wambua said in a previous interview.

The rugby sevens ranking matches and the final will take place on July 27 as International Olympics Committee (IOC) rules demand that no medals are awarded and no athletes are eliminated before the opening ceremony.

Fans can catch the action live on SuperSport and KBC Television.

Shujaa schedule

Wednesday

Shujaa vs Argentina – 5:00pm

Shujaa vs Australia – 8:00pm

Thursday

Shujaa vs Samoa – 3:00pm