Rugby

Kenya Sevens’ speedster Patrick Odongo emerged as the team’s leading try scorer in the recently concluded HSBC World Championship, having managed five of the 28 tries scored across Hong Kong, Valladolid, and Bordeaux.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsShujaa’s return to the top tier after qualifying through SVNS 2 was always going to be a difficult assignment. Drawn against some of the world’s strongest sevens nations, Kenya battled throughout the World Championship campaign before eventually finishing ninth overall and dropping back to SVNS 2 by the narrowest of margins.Collins Injera on whether he would coach Kenya Sevens in futureJohn Okoth followed closely with four tries. The Menengai Oilers ace continued to establish himself as a key member of the squad, producing several influential performances as Kenya sought crucial championship points.Five players then contributed three tries each. Kevin Wekesa, Denis Abukuse, Nygel Amaitsa, and Festus Shiasi all reached the three-t..

For a team that spent much of 2026 fighting against the odds, Kenya Sevens’ season will ultimately be remembered for a cruel ending.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsShujaa experienced both the highs of qualifying for the revamped HSBC SVNS World Championship Series and the lows of suffering relegation back to Division 2 just weeks later.It was a campaign filled with resilience, revival, and heartbreak in equal measure.TACTICAL ANALYSIS: McCarthy’s Harambee Stars masterclass against LesothoLast year, World Rugby introduced a new competition structure for the 2025-26 season, reducing the top-tier World Championship Series to eight teams and creating a second-tier SVNS 2 competition.Kenya found themselves among the casualties of the restructuring. The changes meant that several established nations, including Kenya, had to begin their journey outside the elite circuit.For a nation that had spent years rubbing shoulders with the world’s best and had produced iconic moments such a..

Shujaa kept their hopes of retaining core status in the HSBC SVNS Series alive after securing an 11th-place finish at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Bordeaux, following a convincing 26-7 victory over Uruguay on Sunday, 7 June.The result saw Shujaa end their campaign on a high after a difficult tournament in which they had lost their opening four matches. Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsHowever, Kevin Wambua’s charges must now wait for the outcome of the fifth-place playoff between Fiji and the USA to determine their fate for next season.Victory for Fiji would confirm Kenya’s return to Division One as a core team, while a win for the Americans would leave Shujaa’s hopes shattered.Heading into the encounter, Kenya knew that victory was non-negotiable if they were to maximize their chances of survival. ##NAJAVA_MECA_9784868##The East Africans responded positively, making a bright start against the South Americans.Vincent Onyala opened the scoring after crossing over for t..

Kabras RFC head coach Carlos Katywa has hinted that a transition could be on the horizon for the club after guiding the team to a historic double and further cementing their dominance in Kenyan and East African rugby.##NAJAVA_MECA_9788866##The Sugarmen completed another remarkable season on Saturday, May 30, when they defeated Uganda’s Black Pirates 25-12 at the RFUEA Grounds to clinch their fifth consecutive Enterprise Cup title and sixth overall.The victory capped a stellar campaign for the Kakamega-based side, who had already secured a sixth straight Kenya Cup crown earlier in May. Their latest Enterprise Cup success carried added significance as it came in the first edition of the competition to feature Ugandan clubs since 1999.Kipkemboi, Kemuma crowned Nairobi City Marathon championsDespite the continued success, Kaywa revealed that discussions about the club’s future leadership could soon take place, suggesting the time may be right for other members of the coaching staff to step..

Kenya Sevens’ hopes of securing promotion to the HSBC SVNS remain on a knife-edge after a narrow 7-5 defeat to Germany on Saturday, 6 June.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsShujaa entered the match knowing that victory would keep their push for a ninth-place finish firmly on track, but a single first-half lapse ultimately proved the difference as they slipped to another defeat in France.Derrick Ashiundu opens up on positional versatility at Kabras RFCGermany capitalised on an opportunity midway through the opening half after finding space on the outside from deep inside Kenya’s territory. Felix Hufnagel showed pace and composure to slice through the Kenyan defence and touch down for the game’s opening try.The conversion was successfully added, handing Germany a 7-0 advantage heading into the halftime break.##NAJAVA_MECA_9787904##Kenya emerged for the second half with greater urgency and began asking more questions of the German defence. Their persistence eventually paid off w..

“Our rugby is dying a slow death.”Those were the sobering words of Kabras RFC head coach Carlos Katywa as he delivered a blunt assessment of the challenges facing Kenyan rugby despite his team’s sustained domestic success.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe South African tactician, who has spent more than five years in Kenya and guided Kabras Sugar RFC through the most dominant period in the club’s history, believes a lack of financial backing and sponsorship is slowly crippling the sport.Kenya Lionesses coach outlines plans to boost World Cup qualificationKatywa explained that Kenyan rugby stakeholders need to confront the reality and hold honest conversations about the game’s future.”Our rugby is dying a slow death. I am not here to testify why we have done badly, but I think we need to have a real introspection on what the truth is. The truth of the matter is that there is no money, there is no backing, and the truth and the fact of the matter is that something needs to ..

Kenya Sevens national team, Shujaa, suffered yet another defeat to South Africa, going down 26-5 in their second Pool A match of the final leg of the HSBC World Championship in Bordeaux, France, on Friday, 5 June.The result extended Kenya’s winless run against the Blitzboks in this season’s HSBC World Championship series. Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsThe two sides first met in Hong Kong, where South Africa edged Kenya 26-22 before recording a 14-0 victory in Spain. Heading to the Friday contest, Kenya were rooted at the bottom of the pool without a point after losing their opening fixture to Fiji earlier in the day.South Africa started brightly after George Selwood’s kick-off was well collected by David Nyangige. ##NAJAVA_MECA_9784865##Kenya initially made good ground through the powerful George Ooro, but a turnover handed possession back to the Blitzboks.The South Africans capitalized immediately as Shilton van Wyk sliced through a gap between Festus Shiasi and Patrick ..

Kenya Sevens will head into the final leg of the 2026 HSBC SVNS World Championship in Bordeaux, France, knowing that their place among the world’s elite rugby sevens nations hangs in the balance in the tourney that kicks off from Friday, 5 to Sunday, 7 June.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsKevin Wambua’s side currently sits eighth on the overall standings with 14 points and must remain inside the top eight bracket after the Bordeaux tournament to secure automatic qualification to the 2027 HSBC SVNS Series.Shujaa have experienced a topsy-turvy campaign this season, producing moments of brilliance but struggling to maintain consistency across tournaments.McCarthy admits to Harambee Stars technical bench inexperience after Lesotho drawTheir first outing in Hong Kong highlighted both sides of their season. Kenya suffered defeats to New Zealand (28-12) and Australia (14-5) in the pool stages before bouncing back with a crucial 17-10 victory over the United States to qualify for t..

Kabras Sugar RFC fullback Jackson Siketa has received a late call-up to the Kenya Sevens national team, Shujaa, ahead of the final leg of the 2026 HSBC SVNS World Championship set for Bordeaux, France, from Friday, 5 to Sunday, 7 June.The exciting youngster replaces Nygel Amaitsa, who suffered an injury during Kenya’s final Pool A match against Great Britain in Valladolid, Spain, on Saturday, 30 May.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsDespite Amaitsa’s setback, Shujaa secured a hard-fought 12-7 victory to book a second consecutive quarterfinal appearance on the HSBC SVNS circuit.Siketa’s inclusion marks a return to the national setup for the highly-rated back, who has steadily risen through the ranks over the past three years.##NAJAVA_MECA_9782973##The former Koyonzo Boys High School star first captured national attention in 2023 when he swept the Most Valuable Player(MVP) awards at both the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) National Games and the East Africa G..

Kenya Morans have discovered their opponents for the 2026 Africa Men’s Sevens tournament after the official pool draw was conducted ahead of the continental showpiece set for Saturday, 20, to Sunday, 21 June, at SPARC in Cascavelle, Mauritius.The Morans have been placed in Pool C alongside Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso and Morocco.The team will be seeking to improve on their fourth-place finish from last year’s competition.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsThe tournament, which forms part of the celebrations marking Rugby Africa’s 40th anniversary, will bring together 12 nations battling for continental supremacy in what promises to be a thrilling weekend of sevens rugby.Defending champions South Africa headline Pool A, where they will face Zambia, Nigeria, and hosts Mauritius. Pool B consists of Madagascar, Uganda, Ghana and Tunisia.##NAJAVA_MECA_9780850##For Kenya, Pool C presents a familiar challenge, particularly against Zimbabwe, who denied the Morans a podium finish in the 202..