Lioness finish second in Roma Sevens

Kenya’s 7s women side lioness geared up their preparations for Rio Olympics by finishing 2nd in the concluded Roma sevens in Italy.

Lionesses Head Coach Mike Shamiah has commended his charges following the excellent performance in Rome.

Speaking to the Kenya Rugby Union website after his side lost the cup final 0-40 to South Africa Select, Shamiah said, “ It has been a good outing for the team. We have been able to put into practice many of the things we learnt during our two week training camp in France, and have also been exposed to various elements of the game.”

“ We may have posted big scores in the matches, but we were playing against top opposition such as Venezuela who will be playing at the Olympic Repêchage and Italy who are regular participants at the European Women’s Sevens Championships which is played annually in a series format. These results were a huge eye opener in terms of what we can attain with a lot more exposure and better preparation which will enable us fulfill our very rich potential”, he added.

They trailed 0-28 at the interval, conceding four converted first half tries before letting in 12 points in the second half.

The two sides reached the final by virtue of securing the top two positions in the round robin phase of the tournament, South Africa topping Kenya 24-0 in the final league phase match.

Commenting on the loss to South Africa, Shamiah said, “ They were ruthless from start to finish. They saw our weakness and punished them. It is up to us to show that kind of ruthlessness and hunger every time we step on to the field. With a lot more participation and exposure, we can surely attain that.”

The Lionesses had earlier dispatched Italy 33-5, building on Friday’s 46-0 and 66-0 results over Venezuela and Les Spinoze respectively.

The Lionesses will arrive in the country on Monday.

By Kenerickson Njeru