NAIROBI, Kenya, July 7 – The national men’s rugby 7s junior side finished sixth at the second leg of the Rugby Africa Sevens Cup after a 21-12 loss to Burkina Faso in their fifth-place playoff final in Mauritius on Sunday afternoon.
Morans were slow off the blocks and it cost them as the West Africans drew first blood in the second minute.
However, Victor Mola saved Morans’ blushes, sprinting down the left flank to put the ball over the white chalk in the fifth minute off of a Burkinabe lineout.
The celebrations were short-lived though as Burkina Faso extended the lead at the cusp of halftime, cemented by a solid conversion between the posts.
The momentum swung in favour of coach Louis ‘Fadhee’ Kisia’s side in the second half after their opponents were reduced to six men.
The Kenyans exploited the numerical advantage to score their second try soon after, Dennis Abukuse converting successfully to reduce the deficit to 14-12.
Nonetheless, a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Burkina Faso the last laugh with their third try of the game, with a minute left on the clock.
Morans – looking to follow in the footsteps of their seniors, Shujaa – started the day with a disappointing 10-7 loss to Zimbabwe in the main cup quarters.
They then wiped their tears with a 29-5 win over Zambia in the semi-finals of the fifth-place playoff.
Their sixth place finish in the second leg mirrors last weekend’s outcome in the first leg of the competition where they lost 28-19 to Zimbabwe in the same stage.
Kenya will now turn their attention to the Paris Olympics where two members of the team – Dennis Abukuse and Festus Shiasi – will join Shujaa in Miramas, France in preparation for their opener against Argentina on July 24.
