Paris Olympics: Erratic Shujaa fall to Argentina in opener
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 24.07.24. | 18:19
The Kenyans will be looking to redeem themselves when they face Australia at 8:00 pm.
Kenya 7s national team, Shujaa, went down to Argentina 31-12 in their first pool match played in Paris, France, on Wednesday.
Shujaa made a blistering start to the game, showcasing impressive speed and precision in their passing game.
Nakuru RFC's Chrissant Ojwang was the hero of the opening minutes, powering through the Argentine defense to score Kenya's first try, which was duly converted. He will go down in history for scoring Kenya's first try in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The momentum seemed to be with Shujaa as they pressed for a second try, but a crucial offside decision turned the tide in Argentina's favor. The South Americans capitalized on the scrum that followed to add to the scoreboard just before halftime. HT scores 7-5.
In the second half, Kenya came in with renewed energy, scoring their second and final try through Kevin Wekesa of Kabras RFC. Wekesa was set up by Ojwang.
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Following that, the Argentinians took over, capitalizing on Kenya's mistakes to score their winning tries, bringing the full-time scores to 31-12.
The Kenyans will be looking to redeem themselves when they face Australia at 8:00 pm. They will end their pool matches with an encounter against Samoa on Thursday at 3:00 pm.
This marked 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 were looking to break the jinx this time around.
The rugby sevens ranking matches and the final will take place on July 27 as the International Olympics Committee (IOC) rules demand that no medals are awarded and no athletes are eliminated before the opening ceremony.
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