Kenya Sevens, popularly known as Shujaa, have secured their promotion back to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for 2025 after a decisive 33-15 victory over Germany in a winner-takes-all playoff match in Madrid, Spain, on Sunday.
Germany, who had previously defeated Shujaa twice in the Challenger Series this year, struck first with an unconverted try by Chris Umeh. However, Kenya quickly responded, with Vincent Onyala scoring a try that Tony Omondi converted, giving Shujaa a 7-5 lead.
The lead changed hands once more when Germany’s Nicholas Koch scored an unconverted try, putting them ahead 10-7. Despite a brief setback with Chrisant Ojwang being sent to the sin bin, Ojwang made a triumphant return by scoring a try just before halftime, restoring Kenya’s lead to 12-10.
Shujaa extended their advantage early in the second half when John Okoth scored under the posts, followed by a successful conversion by Omondi, bringing the score to 19-10. Germany’s Maximilian Heid managed to narrow the gap with an unconverted try, making it 19-15.
However, Shujaa sealed their victory with two more tries from George Ooro and Kevin Wekesa, both converted by Omondi, finalizing the score at 33-15 and confirming their return to the World Rugby Sevens Series after their relegation in May 2023.
The playoff victory capped a successful weekend for Shujaa, who overcame a challenging pool stage. They defeated Chile 36-7 in their final pool game on Saturday, following a narrow 10-5 loss to hosts Spain and a 19-12 victory over Samoa in their opening match on Friday.
Shujaa’s triumphant return to the top tier of rugby sevens marks a significant milestone for the team and their supporters, setting the stage for an exciting 2025 season in the HSBC SVNS.
