NAIROBI, Kenya, October 12- Kenya will play hosts Australia in the Main Cup quarters of the Gold Coast Sevens after finishing second in Pool A following a 0-31 stuffing at the hands of defending HSBC World Series champions, New Zealand.
Interim head coach, Felix Ochieng, led the side to breeze through to the last eight with a game to spare after Billy Odhiambo announced his presence on the world stage with a try in the opening match against Tonga before further tries from Collins Injera and Felix Ayange as well as a Biko Adema conversion saw Shujaa take a 17-0 lead at the interval against the Pacific Islanders.
Adema would then convert Patrice Agunda’s try for a 24-0 second half lead. Substitute Eden Agero would score and convert his own try, before converting Fabian Olando’s try for the 38-0 result.
The second game saw Injera move fourth on the IRB Sevens all time try scorers chart, his 161st try converted by Adema for a 7-0 lead against USA. Adema then converted Oscar Ouma’s try before Odhiambo grounded for a 19-0 half time lead.
Odhiambo landed his brace after the restart, Kenya 24-0 up before Injera landed again with Eden Agero converting for a 31-0 lead. USA got their consolation try through Carlin Isle as the game ended 31-5.
Against the All Blacks, a master class of contact offloading saw Joe Webber touchdown for his second try of the match and his country’s 14th of the tournament and soon after Waisake Naholo registed the fifth and final try to leave New Zealand once again the team to beat.
The match against Australia is a repeat of last year’s match up at the same tournament that ended 21-14 to Kenya and the team will look to that result as they seek to further their Gold Coast Sevens campaign.
The hosts bounced back from a 21-21 draw with Scotland, a match in which they led 21-0, to win their matches with Argentina and Samoa to the delight of the home crowd.
