Shujaa on course as Safari 7s title defence gathers pace

Kenya Shujaa breathed life into their Safari 7s title defense on Saturday, recording back-to-back victories to secure a place in the quarter-finals at Nyayo National Stadium.

After a frustrating 21-21 draw against South Africa’s SportPesa Fast Forward 7s on Friday, the hosts responded with a commanding 22-0 victory over Scotland before dispatching regional rivals Uganda 21-5 to finish their Pool A campaign on a high.

The double success marked a significant improvement for Shujaa, who had entered Saturday under pressure to deliver after failing to turn an early advantage into victory against the South Africans.

Against Scotland, Kevin Wambua’s charges showed the attacking intent and defensive discipline expected of the defending champions, keeping their opponents scoreless while crossing the try line four times.

Victor Mola opened the scoring after Rayvone Ambale created the opportunity before Nygel Amaitsa capitalized on another Scottish infringement to extend Kenya’s advantage to 10-0.

The hosts returned from the break with renewed purpose, as Samuel Asati set up Ambale for another try. Ambale added the conversion before Mola completed his brace to seal an emphatic victory.

The clean sheet provided a timely confidence boost, with Shujaa demonstrating their ability to convert pressure into points while keeping their defensive structure intact.

However, the East African derby against Uganda offered a sterner examination of Kenya’s composure and resilience.

Uganda struck first through Aaron Tukei, taking advantage of Amaitsa’s temporary absence following a sin-binning to claim a 5-0 lead.

Shujaa responded through Gabriel Ayimba, who crossed the line before converting his own try to give Kenya a 7-5 half-time advantage.

Ayimba struck again after the restart, finishing a move created by Elvis Olukusi, with Ambale adding the conversion to stretch the hosts’ lead.

Glacious Owino then delivered the decisive blow, exploiting space in Uganda’s defense to score under the posts and complete a 21-5 victory.

The win underlined Shujaa’s capacity to recover from setbacks and maintain their composure in a contest that demanded more than attacking flair.