Kenya national rugby sevens team

The Kenya national rugby sevens team competes in the World Rugby Sevens Series, Rugby World Cup Sevens and the Commonwealth Games. They are currently one of the 15 "core teams" of the World Series, with a guaranteed place in all 10 events each season. Kenya recorded its first tournament win in the World Rugby Sevens Series after beating Fiji at the 2016 Singapore Sevens.[3] Kenya has also been successful in the Rugby World Cup Sevens, reaching the semifinals in 2009 and again in 2013.

This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Kenya women's national rugby sevens team.

Kenya
UnionKenya Rugby Union
Emblem(s)The African lion
Coach(es)Paul Feeney
Captain(s)Andrew Amonde
Most capsCollins Injera (79)
Top scorerCollins Injera (1,443)[1]
Most triesCollins Injera (279)[2]
Team kit
World Cup Sevens
Appearances5 (First in 2001)
Best result3rd place (2009)
Official website
www.kru.co.ke

The Kenya Sevens team is sometimes referred to by the Kenyan and international press as Shujaa,[4] a Swahili word meaning courage, confidence, bravery, or heroism. The Kenya national rugby sevens team is one of the more successful sporting teams representing Kenya. They have won the men's Team of the Year category six times at the Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year Awards: 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009,[5][6] 2013, and 2016.

Honors

World Rugby Sevens Series
A line-out during the 2008 Edinburgh Sevens

Kenya has competed in the World Series every year since the competition's inception in 1999–2000. Kenya's best season came in 2012–13 when they finished fifth in the Series. Collins Injera and Humphrey Kayange were both nominated for World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year in 2009, but lost to England's Ollie Phillips.

World Series record
Season Position Most tries Most points
1999–00 20th
2000–01 23rd
2001–02 23rd
2002–03 10th Dennis Mwanja (6)Oscar Osir (79)
2003–04 11th Oscar Osir (28)Oscar Osir (158)
2004–05 10th Allan Makaka (17)Allan Makaka (87)
2005–06 9th Sidney Ashioya (18)Lavin Asego (163)
2006–07 11th Innocent Simiyu (19)Innocent Simiyu (115)
2007–08 7th Collins Injera (18)Collins Injera (92)
2008–09 6th Collins Injera (42)Collins Injera (210)
2009–10 8th Humphrey Kayange (33)Lavin Asego (173)
2010–11 9th Humphrey Kayange (31)Humphrey Kayange (157)
2011–12 12th Willy Ambaka (16)Lavin Asego (81)
2012–13 5th Willy Ambaka (24)Willy Ambaka (120)
2013–14 7th Collins Injera (30)Collins Injera (166)
2014–15 13th Billy Odhiambo (20)Billy Odhiambo (100)
2015–16 7th Collins Injera (32)Collins Injera (172)
2016–17 12th Billy Odhiambo (22)Billy Odhiambo/Samuel Oliech (110)
2017–18 8th Willy Ambaka (31)Willy Ambaka (155)
2018–19 13th Vincent Onyala (22)Daniel Taabu (157)
TotalCollins Injera (271)Collins Injera (1,393)

Tournament history

Summer Olympic Games

Rugby World Cup Sevens
World Cup record
Tournament Round Position Played Won Lost Drew Most tries
1993 Did not qualify
1997
2001 Bowl Semifinals =19th 7 1 6 0
2005 Bowl Semifinals =19th 7 3 4 0 Lucas Onyango (6)
2009 Semifinals =3rd 5 3 2 0 Collins Injera (5)
2013 Semifinals 4th 6 4 2 0 Humphrey Kayange (6)
2018 Challenge quarterfinals16th5140Jeffrey Oluoch (4)
Total0 Titles5/73012180C. Injera & H. Kayange (9)

Commonwealth Games
Kenya playing the Cook Islands at 2014 Commonwealth Games
Commonwealth record
Year Round Position Pld W L D
1998 Bowl Quarterfinals 13th 5 0 5 0
2002 Bowl Semifinals 11th 5 2 3 0
2006 Bowl Champions 9th 6 4 2 0
2010 Plate Semifinals 7th 5 3 2 0
2014 Plate Semifinals 7th 5 2 3 0
2018 Placement round 8th 5 2 3 0
Total0 Titles6/63113180

Africa Cup Sevens
Africa Cup Sevens record
Year Round Position Pld W L D
2013 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0
2014 Finals 2nd 7 5 2 0
2015 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0
2016 Semifinals 3rd 4 3 1 0
2017 Did Not Compete
2018 Finals 2nd 5 4 1 0
2019 Champions 1st 6 6 0 0
Total3 Titles6/7343040

Safari Sevens

Kenya has won the Safari Sevens ten times:

  • 1997 versus Cumbria Schoolboys 24–27,
  • 2000 Kenya 'A' (Shujaa) won, defeating Bristol University RFC, 26–24
  • 2003 versus Emerging Springboks 29–7,
  • 2004 versus Emerging Springboks 10–7,
  • 2008 versus Zimbabwe 35–12,
  • 2009 versus Emerging Springboks 40–19,
  • 2010 versus Emerging Springboks 17–12,
  • 2014 versus Australia Renegades 40-7,
  • 2016 versus Samurai International 38-21
  • 2019 versus Springbok Sevens 19-12.

Team

Current squad
For a complete list of players in the current World Series, see 2018–19 World Rugby Sevens Series squads § Kenya.

Former squads
Kenya team to the 2016 Summer Olympics

The following is the Kenya roster in the men's rugby sevens tournament of the 2016 Summer Olympics - age represents each players age when the Olympics took place.[7]

Head coach: Benjamin Ayimba

No. Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Events Points Union
1 BK Oscar Ayodi (1989-09-21)21 September 1989 (aged 26) 26 180 Homeboyz
2 FW Bush Mwale (1993-11-14)14 November 1993 (aged 22) 13 75 Homeboyz
3 FW Oscar Ouma Achieng (1989-05-03)3 May 1989 (aged 27) 32 320 Nakuru
4 BK Lugonzo Ligamy (1992-07-29)29 July 1992 (aged 24) 10 51 Homeboyz
5 BK Billy Odhiambo (1993-11-07)7 November 1993 (aged 22) 27 250 Strathmore University
6 FW Humphrey Kayange (1982-07-20)20 July 1982 (aged 34) 67 799 Mwamba
7 BK Biko Adema (1987-09-01)1 September 1987 (aged 28) 53 702 Nondescripts
8 FW Andrew Amonde (c) (1983-12-25)25 December 1983 (aged 32) 48 170 Kenya Commercial Bank
9 FW Dennis Ombachi (1991-12-14)14 December 1991 (aged 24) 22 130 Mwamba
10 BK Samuel Oliech (1993-12-15)15 December 1993 (aged 22) 6 99 Impala Saracens
11 BK Collins Injera (1986-10-18)18 October 1986 (aged 29) 66 1,211 Mwamba
12 FW Willy Ambaka (1990-05-14)14 May 1990 (aged 26) 29 325 Kenya Harlequin
Kenya squad for the 2017–18 World Sevens Series

Squad for the 2017–18 Sevens Series[8]

PlayerClub Team
Collins InjeraMwamba
Oscar OumaNakuru
Oscar Ayodi (c)Homeboyz
Billy OdhiamboMwamba
William AmbakaQuins
Andrew AmondeKCB
Dennis OmbachiNondescripts
Samuel OliechImpala Saracens
Augustine LugonzoHomeboyz
Nelson OyooNakuru
Eden AgeroQuins
Jeffery OluochHomeboyz
Daniel SikutaKabras
Brian TangaKabras
Arthur OwiraKCB
Frank WanyamaQuins
Eric OmbasaOilers
Samuel NgetheOilers
Ian MinjireImpala Saracens

Player records

The following refers to statistics generated in the World Rugby Sevens Series. Players in bold are still active. Collins Injera was briefly ranked the #1 player in the world in tries scored, until his try-scoring record was surpassed by England's Dan Norton.

Most tries[9]
No.PlayerTries
1Collins Injera279
2Humphrey Kayange159
3Willy Ambaka123
Most points[10]
No.PlayerPoints
1Collins Injera1,443
2Lavin Asego1,026
3Humphrey Kayange799
Most matches[11]
No.PlayerMatches
1Collins Injera424
2Andrew Amonde358
3Humphrey Kayange331

See also

References
  1. "Points: Kenya". Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  2. "Try Stats: Kenya". Retrieved 17 December 2017.
  3. "Kenya Sevens make history". Retrieved 19 April 2016.
  4. "Shujaa finish bottom in Dubai 7s", Daily Nation, December 1, 2018.
  5. "SOYA Awards – 2007 winners!". Archived from the original on 13 September 2008. Retrieved 23 April 2008.
  6. KBC, 24 January 2009: Jelimo and Wanjiru crowned best sports personalities
  7. "Kenya 7s – Olympic Games Men's Sevens". World Rugby. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  8. "Kenya Squad". Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  9. World Rugby statistics, current as of 15 March 2020
  10. World Rugby statistics, current as of 15 March 2020
  11. World Rugby statistics, current as of 15 March 2020
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