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The Kenyan men’s national rugby sevens team looked destined to cap off an impressive return to the top flight with a fairytale title at the regular season finale of the HSBC SVNS Series. The Shujaa went into the break 7-0 up after some dogged defending against powerhouses Fiji, but eventually succumbed to the series runner-ups (96 points) 12-21 at the Singapore National Stadium.
Speaking after the match, co-captain George Ooro remained positive in defeat.
History-Makers in Singapore
“The match was very good. It was a good fight, It’s our first time getting to the finals since 2018,” the 25-year-old said.
Despite going into the match as underdogs, the ninth-placed team (36 points) were hoping to recreate their past success in Singapore when they upset the same opponents 30-7 at the 2016 series (then named HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series), clinching their first ever title in the competition.
“We were trying to bring back the history. Our history here in Singapore. But we just fell short because of some simple mistakes. So we’re going to work on them, then we’ll come back stronger in Los Angeles, because we are in the playoffs,” the Olympian said.
The East African team got off to a nervy start, but their resolute defending and tough tackling were just enough to keep the probing Fijians at bay. As the first-half clock ran down, the Kenyans regained possession during the final play. A hopeful ball sent downfield by forward Vincent Onyala trickled across the tryline and was met by the grateful arms of the oncoming Nygel Pettersan Amaitsa, who let out an almighty roar to signal his delight.
Naduvalo’s Double Turns the Tide
However, they were unable to see out the win as their lead quickly evaporated within the first minute of the restart, courtesy of impact substitute Viwa Naduvalo, whose two tries off the bench marked the start of Fiji’s comeback blitz.
Holding back tears as he received the player of the final trophy from All Blacks legend Dan Carter, the Rugby World Cup Sevens winner remained humble about his match-winning display.
Fiji Eyes World Championship
“Thanks to my teammates for giving 100 per cent effort and thanks to the energy they put on the field, we ended up with a win,” Naduvalo said as he broke into a smile.
Having won the first and last legs of the series in Dubai and Singapore to finish eight points shy of series winners Argentina (104 points), Fijian forward Tira Wilagi said of his team’s performance, “We had a good start to the season, but we lost some in the middle of the season… Still grateful and so happy (for the win)… It’s a long way coming and a lot of struggles. It’s just great to have a win.”
The flying Fijians will look to build on this momentum and are already looking to the May 3-4 winner-takes-all World Championship at Los Angeles’s Dignity Health Sports Park.
“If we use the opportunity well, we are going to take it,” Wilagi said.
Black Ferns Dominate Decider
Over in the women’s competition, New Zealand (116 points) entered the second day of competition with the regular season title already in the bag, having edged out Tasman rivals Australia. A comprehensive 40-14 victory by the Black Ferns over France set up a mouthwatering clash against familiar foes Australia, who dished out a 45-7 mauling of Canada in their semi-final.
The finalists, heads and shoulders above the rest of the league, had thoroughly earned their spots in the decider, but it was New Zealand that came out on top with a convincing 31-7 win.
The Black Ferns wasted no time as the fleet-footed Michaela Brake opened the scoring in the second minute after some neat footwork and acceleration gave her a clear path to the tryline. Vice-captain Risi Pouri-Lane followed up two minutes later with a line break of her own after spotting a gap down the wing.
The prolific Maddison Levi, who scored her 200th try for her country in sevens rugby earlier in the tournament, pulled one back for her side as they entered the break at 7-12 down.
But there was to be no comeback for the Aussies as Jazmin Felix-Hotham got on the scoresheet in less than a minute from the restart after capitalising on a successful tackle by Pouri-Lane. A try from Kelsey Teneti and a second for all-time leading try scorer, Brake, put the tie to bed.
Back-to-Back Glory
Pouri-Lane, who had a try and two conversions in the final, was still processing the win after the end-to-end final.
“Pretty speechless, to be honest. It’s been an awesome couple of weeks, and for us, it’s not an easy thing to go back-to-back and just proud of the girls’ efforts this weekend. It has been a whole effort of 20 players, our girls back home as well. We talked about going moment by moment and game by game. We didn’t get it right all the time, but to be able to come out here and get a win against a really good Australian side, I am very proud of them.”
The 24-year-old also reserved praise for her opponents. “We know that they are an awesome bunch. And they are a young team as well, they’ve got such a talented side and the depth that they have shown throughout the years. But for us, we know that if we stick to what we know and we stick to the simple things and do them well, the results will take care of themselves,” she added.
Marking the cup win with a celebratory Haka together with the rest of her teammates, Pouri-Lane expressed her ambition to finish the season strongly with the World Championship beckoning.
“We know that we are going to give our best and we are going to put the best team out there that we can. It is about maintaining the momentum and showing up when we need to show up and believing in ourselves… We can’t be complacent going into that.”
In the SEA 7s, there was joy for the hosts as the Singapore women’s team downed causeway rivals Malaysia 12-5 in the final on Saturday (April 5), while Thailand won the men’s contest after a 10-5 win against Malaysia.
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