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Shujaa are in danger of relegation from the international circuit.
Kenya Sevens Head Coach Damian McGrath complains that the team’s major challenge is the lack of experience that has cost them in their Hong Kong and Singapore HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
The veteran tactician revealed that most countries groom the player’s talent from a young age and when they are of age, they have grasped the important skills. He said Kenya lacks the consistency to involve youngsters in the sport.
“The rest of the world is evolving faster as high performance. Many of the teams have players who play from a very young age and they have the basic skills that maybe our players lack. Our players have the speed but their skills aren’t as high as our opponents. That’s what has affected us,” McGrath said, as quoted by Nation Sport.
Shujaa started their campaign on a bad note in the Hong Kong Series losing to New Zealand 5-29. They also lost 14-26 to Ireland and extended their poor run which saw them lose 17-26 to South Africa. They ended the Hong Kong Series point less after losing their last two matches to Samoa (12-26) and China (10-19).
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14:51 - 10.04.2023
Kenya 7s Fans: 'Buffa', Injera comparison is like pitting Mbappe against Ronaldo
The supporters felt it was premature and disrespectful to put Otieno in the same category as the Shujaa legend
In their Singapore tour, they started off with a 19-26 loss to France and also lost 19-21 to the USA. They extended the poor run to lose 17-33 to Uruguay before bouncing back with a 28-14 win over Canada. They also won 40-7 over Japan before falling 10-26 to Spain.
From the two series’, Shujaa only managed eight points and are placed 13th in the table with a total of 37 points from all the nine tours they have competed in.
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11:35 - 10.04.2023
Kenya 7s Calculators out! What does Kenya Sevens need in Toulouse to escape relegation?
Kenya are, however, encouraged by what appears to be a favourable Pool in Toulouse.
McGrath also insisted that inconsistency has also been a challenge for the team. He admitted to the players feeling some pressure ahead of the two events remaining (Toulouse Series from May 12 to 14 and London Series from May 20-21).
“We were as consistently inconsistent as we’ve been all year. We started off on a bad note then switched up. In our last match, we again lost. We are very concerned…the pressure is enormous and we are aware of it. The next fixtures will determine what happens to Kenya 7s going forward,” he said.
The teams ranked 12th, 13th and 14th at the end of Toulouse will enter a four-team relegation play-off together with the Challenger Series 2023 winners at the eleventh and final round of the Series in London.
The relegation play-off will be round-robin format with the top two teams then playing a final. The winner will become the 12th core team on the 2024 Series, while the other three teams will enter their respective Regional Sevens Championships in order to qualify for the 2024 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series.
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Damian McGrath's men must win all their games on Day 2 to put more points on board.
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