Kenya 7S will start their World Cup campaign against Tonga
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 2- Kenya will start its 2018 Rugby Sevens World Cup campaign against Tonga on July 20 in the pre-round of stage 16, according to the schedule released by World Rugby which features an innovative tournament format.
Countries ranked between 9th and 24th basing on the points accrued in the 2016-17 series and first seven rounds of 2018 in Dubai, Cape Town, Sydney, Hamilton, Las Vegas, Vancouver and Hong Kong will kick-off their campaign in the pre-round of 16 stage.
A win for Shujaa will see them book a spot in the round of 16 where they will face Scotland. Victory there will hoist them into the Championship which will involve eight teams.
On the contrast, a loss to Tonga will see Kenya drop to the Bowl trophy while a defeat to Scotland in the round of 16 sees Innocent Simiyu’s charges play the Challenge trophy.
The World Cup will be held in San Francisco, United States
Most see the new format as a disadvantage for Kenya which is a core World Rugby side as they will face a Scotland side fresher in the round of 16 if they beat Tonga.
Scotland, Argentina, Australia, England, New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa and United States have all been seeded and will start directly into the round of 16.
Neighbors Uganda will take on Samoa while France, Wales and Japan are among the core teams which start their campaign in the pre-round of 16.
Oscar Ayodi in action for Kenya against France at the Cape Town Sevens in South Africa on December 9, 2017. PHOTO/World Rugby
-Shujaa on the verge of breaking World Series 100 points-
Meanwhile, Kenya will stand a chance of breaking the 100 point barrier in the World Sevens series for the first time ever as they are currently on 93 points, seven shy with two rounds in London and Paris remaining.
The best ever performance by the charges was during the 2012/13 season where they finished 5th, accumulating 99 points under the tutelage of Englishman Mike Friday.
This season, Innocent Simiyu’s charges have reached two Main Cup finals at Vancouver and Hong Kong 7s losing both to Fiji. They have also reached all but one Main Cup Quarter final.
At the penultimate round of HSBC Sevens World Series in London, Kenya has been pooled with the same teams they faced in Singapore, taking on England, USA and France in Group C.
