Kenya men’s national rugby 7s side Shujaa kickstarted their crucial do-or-die leg in the Toulouse 7s on the wrong foot, stumbling in their opening Pool A clash against relegation-threatened Uruguay 19-5 at the Ernest Wallon stadium on Friday afternoon.
In what was built up to be a key match for Damian McGrath’s charges, it was 12th-ranked Uruguay who showed more fight and strength, dominating Kenya from the start.
Baltazar Amaya powered through the Kenyan defense for the opening score just two minutes into the game, opening up a 5-0 lead and that was not all.
Mateo Vinals capitalized off a Kenyan turnover minutes later to run through the left channel for Uruguay’s first converted try that saw them extend their lead to 12-0 at halftime.
The onslaught continued for the Uruguayan side as Bautista Basto soon made the scores 19-0 off another Kenyan giveaway; making the scores 19-0.
Shujaa’s only glimpse of hope came late on in the second half when a swift combination between Brian Tanga and George Ooro resulted in the latter touching down for Kenya’s only score of the game to make it 19-5.
The result digs more pressure for the Kenyan side that needs at least 15 points from the Toulouse leg to snap a chance of avoiding relegation from the HSBC Sevens circuit.
Kenya’s next game comes against current table toppers New Zealand in their second match of the day at 1916EAT.
Following the penultimate event in Toulouse, the 15th ranked team will be relegated while the 12th through 14th ranked teams will face off against the Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winner for the 12th and final position on the 2024 Series at HSBC London Sevens.
As it stands, Japan (16 points) hold the lowest ranking among core teams, while Canada (24), Kenya (37), Spain (48) and Uruguay (40) will be fervently trying to accumulate points in Toulouse to avoid relegation and the playoff in London.
