The Kenya Sevens national team, Shujaa, suffered a agonizing 26-22 defeat to South Africa in the Main Cup quarter-finals of the Hong Kong 7s on Saturday, as a last-gasp try from Siviwe Soyizwapi shattered Kenyan hopes of a historic semi-final spot.
Despite a dominant second-half display that saw Kenya 7s lead by eight points with less than two minutes on the clock, Shujaa failed to close out the game against a clinical Blitzboks side that exploited a late defensive lapse to steal victory at the Kai Tak Sports Park.
South Africa drew first blood with a try from the back of a scrum, but Kenya responded with grit. John Okoth reduced the deficit with an unconverted try before Dennis Abukuse powered through to hand Kenya a 12-7 lead.
Discipline proved costly just before the break when Vincent Onyala was sent to the sin-bin. South Africa immediately capitalized on the numerical advantage to retake a 14-12 lead heading into the interval.
Kenya 7s’ Second-Half Surge
Kenya emerged from the break with renewed intensity. Samuel Asati, who was the architect of Kenya’s play throughout the match, delivered a perfectly timed “incisive pass” to Kevin Wekesa, who crashed over to put Shujaa back in front.
The momentum swung further in Kenya 7s’ favor when South Africa’s Selvyn Davids saw yellow for a high tackle. From the resulting scrum, Asati again turned provider, setting up Festus Shiasi to extend the lead to 22-14.
With a man advantage and only two minutes remaining, Shujaa appeared destined for the final four. However, the Blitzboks staged a “miraculous comeback.” They quickly moved the ball to reduce the gap to 22-21 after a converted try.
In the final play of the game, with the Kenyan defense stretched, Siviwe Soyizwapi found space on the wing to touch down for the winning score, ending the match at 26-22 and leaving the Kenyan players dejected on the turf.
What Next For Kenya 7s?
The narrow defeat highlights a recurring issue for Shujaa: conversion accuracy. Kenya scored four tries to South Africa’s four, but missed three conversions that would have put the game out of reach.
Kenya will now drop to the 5th place semi-finals on Sunday, while South Africa moves on to face New Zealand in the Main Cup semi-final
By Mark Kinyanjui
