Team must work harder
Rugby fans attend the Hong Kong Sevens in 2014. FILE PHOTO | PHILIPPE LOPEZ |
What you need to know:
- Poor tackling, attack, and decision-making summed up Kenya’s show.
- The team must improve their performance in the last three legs of the series.
The Kenya Sevens team’s lacklustre show in the Hong Kong Sevens is a cause for concern.
The team, currently placed 12th in the World Rugby Sevens Series with 32 points, is battling relegation. Kenya Sevens beat Japan 26-7 in the lowly rated Shield final to get only three points in the sixth leg of the series.
Poor tackling, attack, and decision-making summed up Kenya’s show. The team must improve their performance in the last three legs of the series in Tokyo, London, and Scotland if they hope to remain in the World Rugby Sevens Series.
Twelve top teams will qualify and the next three will engage in a play-off to select one team.
Kenya is on shaky ground, having tied in 12th place with Canada, who beat them in Bowl quarters at the Hong Kong Sevens. Wales, who also edged out Kenya in the preliminaries in Hong Kong, are placed 11th with 37 points.
Therefore, Kenya has to bridge the gap to avoid the play-off zone.
New head coach Felix Ochieng has to find a quick remedy because even qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics seems to be an increasingly uphill task for the team in the African qualifiers.
