Shujaa roar at start of 2020 Tokyo qualifier
National Sevens men’s rugby team made a roaring start in a bid to reclaim the Africa 7s championship and a place in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games through the continental event at the Bosnia Stadium, South Africa, this weekend.
Shujaa ran over hapless Ivory Coast 37-7 before Uganda made cheap work over Mauritius, winning 67-0.
The qualifiers for the quadrennial mega-fiesta Tokyo Games see Kenya and Zimbabwe don the ‘favourites’ tag by virtue of reaching last season’s finals, Shujaa hopeful for revenge backed up by experience and brains on board in the new format 14-team event.
Shujaa’s weekend target is to become the second team sport after Lionesses to return to the Olympics after Rio 2016.
On board Shujaa 12-man squad is experienced skipper Andrew Amonde who will take matters to his side when needed, Willy Ambaka and Billy Odhiambo ‘the Kid’ will also throw in experience missed in last year’s event when Kenya was dethroned by Zimbabwe by a 17-5 defeat in Monastir, Tunisia.
Kenya are expected to lift the continental crown and after Lionesses slim loss to South Africa in the women’s cup, Shujaa will be expected to step up and carry the honours ahead of the busy 2019/2020 calendar.
Kenya will play debuting Ivory Coast in one of the sevens playoffs to determine seven winners and a best loser for a top eight playoffs while the bottom six will be divided into two pools of three teams each to contest for rankings 9-14.
Kenya will be under the tutelage of coach Paul Feeney, the new Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) director who will base his stand at the edge of the Bosman sidelines.
Kenya Sevens squad will play their hearts out expecting to meet promised 2019/2020 contracts by KRU on their return whereas Cheetahs’ financial gaps that are sometimes filled by fans could not hold them back from dethroning Kenya last season.
Cheetahs head coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba will hope his boys relive last edition’s glorious moments with a much similar squad that also savoured HSBC invitations to Dubai and Cape Town sevens 2018 editions.
Zimbabwe squad was tested at the Safari sevens 2019 tournament but faced it rough joining Spain in the list of teams beaten by local sevens champs KCB at RFUEA grounds to raise eyebrows.
The slot to join the eight already qualified teams will also be contested by Uganda, Namibia, Tunisia, Ghana, Senegal, Madagascar, Zambia, Morocco, Mauritius, Botswana, debuting Nigeria and Ivory Coast.
Already qualified Tokyo 2020 teams include hosts Japan, South Africa, USA, Fiji, New Zealand, Great Britain, Canada and Argentina.
Other Shujaa players to watch out for include forwards duo of Bush Mwale and Jeff Oluoch and backline duo of Vincent Onyala, Jacob Ojee and Johnstonne Olindi. -Alex Njue
