Rugby: Shujaa claim bronze at Edmonton 7s

Kenya 7s thrashed hosts Canada 33-14 to finish third in the Edmonton 7s on Sunday, September 26 at the Commonwealth Stadium.

Kenya was chasing her second medal in Canada after Shujaa finished second in the Vancouver 7s hosted a week ago.

Canada on the otherhand, were chasing their second bronze medal at home after winning in Vancouver in 2020 and when Jake Thiel brought them level with Kenya at 14-14 at the start of the second half, it looked game on.

Shujaa finish third at the Edmonton 7s in Canada. Pulse Live Kenya

However, the Shujaa’s big-name players, Willy Ambaka and the ultimate showman, Alvin Otieno, took the wind out of their sails with 55-metre runs to the line straight from kick-off.

Otieno had already got his name on the scoresheet in the first half along with Nelson Oyoo, while another veteran Billy Odhiambo rounded off the scoring in a 33-14 win.

To seal off his 50th tournament, Billy Odhiambo landed Kenya's final try against Canada to make it 33-14 in the Bronze medal match. Pulse Live Kenya

Semi-finals

Kenya had found themselves in the bronze medal match after losing out to South Africa in the first-ever Cup semi-final meeting between the teams.

A repeat of last week’s final ended in a similarly emphatic win for the Blitzboks. As hard as they tried, Kenya had no answer to the blistering Blitzboks who secured the Series title with a 33-7 victory.

Kenya had found themselves in the bronze medal match after losing out to South Africa in the first-ever Cup semi-final meeting between the teams. Pulse Live Kenya

Kenya conceded a try to the prolific du Plessis after just 13 seconds but refused to wilt like in the Vancouver final and dominated possession for the next three minutes.

However, against the run of play, Soyizwapi found his way over and then added another before Brown dotted down. Jeff Oluoch ensured Kenya didn’t end the match scoreless.

More 7s tournaments to come

Given the unique circumstances of the pandemic, there will be no relegation from the 2021 Series and the results will not contribute towards seedings for any other future events.

The complete HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2022 schedule will be announced later this month.

Rugby sevens players and fans can look forward to a very busy and exciting year in 2022 with the Series followed by the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, on 29-31 July and Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town, South Africa, on 9-11 September.