Shujaa, Lionesses ready for Montevideo challenge

Kenya 7s national teams, Shujaa and Lionesses, have left the country for Montevideo in Uruguay where they are set to play the second leg of the HSBC Challenger Series from 8-10 March.

The Challenger Series is the pathway teams use to qualify for the World Seven Series. The first leg was played in Dubai on 12-14 January and the consecutive legs will be played in Uruguay and Madrid.

The teams were flagged off by the Cabinet Secretary in charge of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports Ababu Namwamba at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday evening.

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Shujaa who won the Dubai challenge will be looking to pick up from where they left off.

The team was in sleek form, winning five out of the six matches played to be crowned winners of the highly competitive tournament.

The determined Shujaa kickstarted their promotion hunt with a stunning 41-0 win over Mexico before seeing off noisy neighbors Uganda 29-7 in the closely contested match. The win assured them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.

They ended their pool matches with a 24-12 loss to Germany. The loss was the first for the team since coach Kevin Wambua and the new technical bench took over. The side had been on a winning streak since September 2023 when they humbled South Africa to book a direct slot in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At the quarterfinal stage, the high-flying Kenya 7s narrowly escaped a 21-19 beating from on-form Japan.

They then proceeded to the semifinal stage where they humbled Uruguay 21-5 to cruise to the finals. Their heroics continued as they saw off Chile 12-5 to win the tournament.

They have only lost a single match under the tutelage of Wambua alias Bling and will be keen to extend their winning streak.

At the same time, the Lionesses who are under the guidance of coach Dennis Mwanja will be keen to claim the top position after ending the Dubai outing at position two.

The hard-hitting Lionesses defied all the odds to reach the final stage where they went down 19-5 to China after a spirited fight.

They kickstarted their campaign with a 17-12 win over China before narrowly going down 12-10 to Czechia in their second pool match. They would then serve Mexico with rugby lessons after thrashing them 40-0 in their final pool match to cruise to the tournament's quarterfinals.

At the quarterfinal stage, the fierce Lionesses handed Czechia a 22-12 beating to successfully get their revenge. The win saw them book a slot in the semifinal stage where they whitewashed Argentina 17-0 to sail through to the tournament's final.

Shujaa squad to Montevideo: Vincent Onyala, Tony Omondi, Kevin Wekesa, John Okoth, Dennis Abukuse, George Ooro, Nygel Amaitsa, Samuel Asati, Ben Salem, Chrissant Ojwang, Lamec Ambetsa, Elvis Olukusi

Kenya Lionesses squad to Uruguay: Sheila Chajira (captain), Naomi Amuguni, Judith Okumu, Stella Wafula, Sharon Auma, Grace Adhiambo, Janet Okello, Christabel Lindo, Sinaida Nyachio, Maureen Muritu, Phoebe Akinyi, Terry Ayesa