Nairobi — Kenya will face Samoa in the ninth‑place quarter‑final at the Hong Kong 7s after losing all three of their Pool D matches. Their latest defeat came on Saturday morning, when they fell 17‑26 to South Africa. The Shujaa will meet Samoa at 4:16 am East African Time on Sunday.
South Africa dominated early, denying Kenya any meaningful possession. They scored three quick tries through Shaun Williams, captain Siviwe Soyizwapi and Christie Grobbelaar, with Ricardo Duartee converting two of them to lead 19‑0 at halftime.
In the second half Kenya showed more purpose, gaining possession and territory. Tony Omondi’s visionary pass released captain Nelson Oyoo for a try, narrowing the gap to 19‑5. Damian McGrath’s pressure forced the South Africans into a defensive scramble, but a turnover allowed Donovan Don to score under the posts, with Williams converting to make it 26‑5. At that point the game was out of Kenya’s reach.
Jeff Oluoch collected a loose ball from the restart and sprinted 50 metres for Kenya’s second try, followed by a late score from Billy Odhiambo. Johnstone Olindi’s conversion sealed the final result.
Kenya’s campaign began with a 5‑29 loss to New Zealand, followed by a 14‑26 defeat to Ireland, and now the 17‑26 loss to South Africa.
Comments are closed for this story.