Kenya: Shujaa Crowned Safari Sevens Champions

By Geoffrey Anene

Kenya Shujaa are the new Safari Sevens champions after registering a hard-fought 12-5 win against Germany in an entertaining final of the 23rd edition which climaxed at Nyayo Stadium on Sunday.

Fan favourite Alvin' Buffa' Otieno and Johnstone Olindi scored on either side of Jack Hunt's try to hand Shujaa the crown they last won in 2016.

It was a tight contest straight from kickoff before Otieno burst through the German defence to break the deadlock.

Levy Amunga converted for a 7-0 lead, but coach Damian McGrath's men's response was almost immediate after winning a lineout and scoring an unconverted try through Hunt.

Germany came back strongly in the second half, piling pressure on coach Innocent 'Namcos' Simiyu's men.

Kenya got a reprieve after Germany failed to release the ball near their opponents' five-metre line.

Simiyu brought in Collins Shikoli for Edmund Anya, but the hosts were soon reduced to six men after Shikoli was sin-binned

Germany, who had stunned Shujaa 14-12 at the group stage, could not capitalise on their numerical advantage and got punished afterwards after Olindi crossed the whitewash for a 12-5. lead.

Amunga missed the twos but that didn't matter. Shujaa's win means the title gets to stay in Kenya after Morans won in 2019. The 2020 edition was not held because of coronavirus.

Kenya Lionesses I bagged the women's crown by winning all their matches, including beating Uganda 26-0 on Sunday.

This article originally appeared on Nation.

Photo: Nation Media Group.