NAIROBI, Kenya, January 21, 2026 – National women’s rugby 7s team captain Sheila Chajira says the Lionesses will be a fearsome opponent when they return from the high performance training camp in Spain.
Chajira says the camp is exactly ‘what the doctor ordered’ as they intensify preparations for next month’s World Rugby 7s Division 2 tournament in Nairobi.
“The teams we will be playing are the same ones we faced during the Challenger Series so it will be a great opportunity to test ourselves and know where we stand. They are teams with almost the same quality as those that we will face at home here,” she said.
Kenya is set to host the prestigious competition on February 14-15 at the Nyayo Stadium.
The Lionesses will be battling for glory with five other top teams, including South Africa, China, Spain, Argentina and Brazil.
It will be the first competitive action for Simon Odongo’s charges since a heartbreaking 22-0 loss to South Africa in the final of the Africa Women’s 7s in November last year.
Chajira admits the defeat left a bitter but sobering taste in their mouths, which they are trying to wash away through hard work in training.
“Since we last played against them, we have been working on the things that cost us while polishing on the areas that worked for us. We have been in a non-residential training camp and got into the residential training camp on Wednesday before we depart for Spain on Sunday,” the skipper said.
Within World Rugby circles, Kenya has earned admiration for its passionate and dedicate fans who have followed the men and women’s 7s teams across the globe as they compete in the HSBC Series.
With Kenya hosting Division 2, Chajira is looking forward to a Nyayo Stadium that is packed to the rafters.
Among the capacity crowd will be family members, a fact Chajira admits will be extra motivation.
“Of course, some of us will be having family members in the stands and this will give us extra motivation. We are looking forward to the stadium being packed to capacity because this will push us forward. Of course, winning the competition is the goal,” she said.
Apart from Nairobi, other legs of the competition will be held in Sao Paulo (Brazil) and Montevideo (Uruguay).
Topping the Division 2 standings comes with the ultimate prize of qualification to Division 1.
