Shujaa finish sixth in second Dubai 7s tournament

The men's rugby 7s side, Shujaa, improved from their eighth place finish in the first outing of the 2021/2022 HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series as they finished in sixth place in the second Dubai Sevens Tournament.

This is after the Innocent 'Namcos' Simiyu coached side narrowly lost 10-5 against Great Britain in a closely fought 5/6th place playoff tie staged on Saturday evening at the Sevens Stadium.

In the match, it is Shujaa who managed to take the lead despite Great Britain’s bright approach. The trio of Bush Mwale, Herman Humwa and Jeff Oluoch collectively showing their physicality in eating up territory into Great Britain’s half before Oluoch powered his way at the corner for the opening try of the game. The conversion attempt was however unsuccessful forcing Kenya to settle for a 0-5 lead.

What ensued after the try scored in the third minute was a cagey see saw of possession with the tiring teams failing to have any headway for the next six minutes.

However, with the hooter well sounded for the half time break, a clever chip by Robbie Ferguson allowed Great Britain to restore parity as he followed through his kick before successfully grounding his attempt under considerable pressure.

In the second half, another piece of brilliance saw Great Britain complete the comeback as Ferguson picked the ball from a breakdown before he ran on Kenya’s blindside to land his brace in the contest.

That second try would prove to be enough to secure a fifth place finish for GB as Shujaa were unsuccessful in searching for a response in the dying minutes of the game.

Dubai 7s (II) Results

Group Stage

Kenya 14-21 Australia

Kenya 21-24 USA

Kenya 26-14 Canada

Quarter Final

Kenya 19-31 South Africa

5th place semifinal

Kenya 29-0 USA

5th place final

Kenya 5-10 Great Britain