Shujaa cruise past Canada in commanding HSBC 7s opener

Shujaa launched their 2026 HSBC SVNS 2 Nairobi campaign with a commanding 29-12 victory over Canada 7s at Nyayo Stadium, delighting the home crowd with a clinical all-round display.

The men’s national 7s side started sharply and took control early. Patrick Odongo opened the scoring after producing a clever offload on the right wing before sprinting clear to touch down for the first try. Nygel Amaitsa added the conversion to hand Kenya a 7-0 lead.

Kenya doubled their advantage moments later through Chrisant Ojwang’, who spotted space on the left flank and dotted down under the posts. The conversion attempt went wide, but Shujaa were firmly in command at 12-0.

The hosts continued to pile pressure on Canada’s defence. Odongo grabbed his second try of the match after latching onto a sharp offload from Amaitsa on the opposite wing, powering through to extend the lead to 17-0.

Festus Shiasi then crossed over following a well-worked move as Kenya maintained their dominance in possession and territory. Amaitsa capped off a strong individual performance by adding a try of his own, underlining Shujaa’s attacking efficiency.

Canada managed to respond with two tries, but the early damage proved decisive as Kenya comfortably closed out the match 29-12 at full-time.

The result gives Shujaa a perfect start in front of their supporters as the Nairobi leg of the HSBC SVNS 2 runs from 14–15 February. Earlier in the day, USA thrashed Belgium 40-0, while Germany edged Uruguay 19-14 in other men’s fixtures.

Kenya will now turn their focus to upcoming pool matches against Belgium and Germany later in the day as they look to maintain momentum and push for early promotion contention.