Kenya Lionesses head coach Simon Odongo has vowed to go back to the drawing board after his side finished third at the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Championship, missing out on qualification for the HSBC Sevens three-team event in Dubai later this month.
The Lionesses’ hopes of securing the continent’s sole ticket to Dubai were dashed after a heartbreaking 19-14 semifinal defeat to bitter rivals Uganda, who scored the decisive try with the final play of the match.
“It was a tough loss, especially with Uganda scoring the winner with the last play of the game. It hurt, but those are the margins of sevens rugby. They are very small, and we have to be better equipped next time around,” said Odongo.
Uganda went on to claim the continental title after thrashing Tunisia 33-0 in the final, securing qualification for the HSBC Sevens event scheduled for November 28-29 in Dubai.
The victory was sweet revenge for the Ugandans, who had suffered a comprehensive 22-5 defeat to Kenya at the Safari Sevens at Nyayo Stadium a month earlier.
Despite the disappointment, Odongo remained optimistic about the future of the team, pointing to the emergence of young talent, including Catherine Elizabeth and Marvel Oswago, who were part of the gold-medal-winning Rising Lionesses at the Youth Olympics.
“The girls are disappointed, but the future is bright for this team, especially with the many young faces coming through and giving the established players competition. We will be back to reclaim our crown very soon,” he noted.
In the semifinal, Uganda made a flying start, with Grace Nabugala crossing for the opening try before playmaker Peace Lekuru added the conversion for a 7-0 lead. Lekuru later scored a second try to extend the advantage to 12-0.
Kenya responded before the break through Freshia Oduor, whose try was converted by Sinaida Mokaya to reduce the deficit to 12-7.
The Lionesses continued their resurgence after the restart, with Janet Okello crossing for a try that Mokaya converted to give Kenya a 14-12 lead with seconds remaining. However, Lekuru had the final say, scoring the decisive try to seal Uganda’s victory.
Kenya bounced back emphatically in the bronze-medal match, thrashing Zimbabwe 27-0. Earlier, they had beaten Ghana 25-7, Tunisia 19-0 and Mauritius 52-0 in the quarterfinals.
