NAIROBI, Kenya, June 29 – The junior national rugby 7s side recorded mixed results on Day One of the Rugby Africa 7s Cup on Saturday in Mauritius, recording big wins against the hosts and Nigeria before a shock loss to Madagascar.
Moran were merciless in the first match of the day, thrashing Mauritius 40-0 in a one-sided tie that saw them leading 19-0 at halftime.
Their second fixture of the day saw them humiliate Nigeria 25-0, having led 10-0 at the break.
However, coach Louis ‘Fadhee’ Kisia’s side slipped up in their ultimate Pool A fixture, losing 7-5 to unfancied Madagascar.
After a drab first half characterised by stoic defensive play, Joel Inzuga put Moran in the lead in the second half although the subsequent conversion was unsuccessful.
Failure to convert between the posts proved fatal as the Indian Ocean islanders nicked the winner with a try of their own, ramped up by a successful conversion to confirm the victory.
Kenya, who ended up second in the pool, will now face arch-rivals South Africa in the quarterfinal on Sunday.
The Boks topped Pool C after a 100 per cent record in which they beat Zambia 31-7 in their first match, outclassed Zimbabwe 19-10 in the second one before humbling Algeria 40-5 in their last tie.
South Africa will be keen to avenge their loss at the hands of Kenya in last year’s edition of the same competition in Zimbabwe, which ended 17-12 in favour of the East Africans.
The win earned Shujaa – the senior men’s rugby 7s side – passageway to the Paris Olympics while condemning the Boks to the Repechage.
