NAIROBI, Kenya, January 12 – The national men’s rugby 7s team were in a class of their own as they schooled Mexico 41-0 in the first match of their World Rugby 7s Challenger Series at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai on Friday afternoon.
Kevin Wekesa opened the floodgates with the first try in first minute, before adding a second, two minutes later to make it 10-0.
Nygel Amaitsa atoned for his two missed conversions with a try of his own before University of Daystar Falcons’ Patrick Odongo scored a quickfire brace in eighth minute.
With three minutes to the final whistle, co-captain Vincent Onyala turned up to the party with a try of his own to make it 34-0 — the 47th of his national career — as the Latin Americans capitulated with no reply to the marauding Shujaa.
John Okoth put the icing on the cake in the dying embers of the game by putting the ball over the white chalk to put his name on the scoreboard.
Amaitsa converted his first penalty of the afternoon to put the gloss on the scoreline.
Shujaa next face East African neighbours Uganda later in the evening.
Less than two hours earlier, the national women’s team had began their campaign on a positive note with a narrow 17-12 win over China at the same venue.
The Chinese drew first blood in the third minute through Chen Keyi but this seemed to awaken the wounded Lionesses who responded via captain Grace Adhiambo whose conversion a minute later made it 5-2.
Kenya then took the lead via Stella Wafula in the ninth minute but soon relinquished it when Liu Xiaoqian scored the Chinese’s second try in the 10th minute.
However, the Lionesses wrestled the lead in the last moments of the game through a Judith Okumu try to give them their first win of the tournament.
Later on Friday evening, they face the Czech Republic who walloped Mexico 34-0 in the other Pool B match.
