Kenya Shujaa fall to South Africa in quarterfinals at Hong Kong 7s
Kenya’s national rugby sevens team, Shujaa, suffered a painful last-minute defeat after losing 26-22 to South Africa in the Hong Kong SVNS World Championship quarterfinal.
The match, played at Kai Tak Park, saw Shujaa fight hard but fall just seconds before the final whistle.
South Africa started strongly and took an early 7-0 lead through Selvyn Davids. However, Shujaa responded well, with John Okoth scoring Kenya’s first try after a well-worked move. Denis Abukuse then added another try to give Kenya a 12-7 lead.
The game changed just before halftime when Vincent Onyala was sent to the sin bin. South Africa quickly took advantage, scoring to lead 14-12 at the break.
In the second half, Shujaa showed great determination. Kevin Wekesa crossed the line after a good build-up, before Festus Shiashi powered over to extend Kenya’s lead to 22-14.
But South Africa kept pushing. They reduced the gap to one point through Quewin Nortje, setting up a tense finish.
With time almost up, South Africa regained possession and won crucial penalties. Substitute Siviwe Soyizwapi scored the winning try in the final moments, sealing a 26-22 victory and ending Shujaa’s campaign.
Despite the loss, Shujaa showed strong fighting spirit and will take positives from their performance in Hong Kong.
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