Tonga replace Samoa for Safari 7s
What you need to know:
- Kenya Rugby Union chair Mwangi Muthee said Samoa, also a core team in the World Sevens Series, withdrew without giving reasons.
- Spain, who lost in the play-off to Kenya’s Shujaa during the 2012 championships, will be led by Pablo Feijoo Ugalde. There will be a total of nine foreign match officials in attendance during this year’s series.
- Australia Icons, Stade de France and England Students will also feature in the three-day extravaganza that will see Kenya field defending champions Shujaa and Morans.
IRB World Sevens Series side Tonga, regulars in the IRB World Series, has replaced Samoa for this year’s Safaricom Safari Sevens that runs from September 26 to 28 at the Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani, in a championship that has also attracted Argentina and Spain.
Kenya Rugby Union chair Mwangi Muthee said Samoa, also a core team in the World Sevens Series, withdrew without giving reasons.
Zimbabwe and Uganda will also be making a return, alongside newcomers Germany. They will battle for the Robin Cahill Trophy alongside Samurai International, Sharks, Western Province, Auckland Metro (New Zealand), Suzuki Wailers (Japan) and Welsh Warriors (Great Britain).
Australia Icons, Stade de France and England Students will also feature in the three-day extravaganza that will see Kenya field defending champions Shujaa and Morans.
Argentina, who won the Bowl in 2011 will be led by Alvarez Santiago while Auckland (who won the plate in the same year) have Fijian Sevens utility player Jona Tuitoga and Australian Sevens player Jordan Macey.
Spain, who lost in the play-off to Kenya’s Shujaa during the 2012 championships, will be led by Pablo Feijoo Ugalde. There will be a total of nine foreign match officials in attendance during this year’s series.
Spaniard Ibbareta Inigo, South Africa’s Jaco Kotze, New Zealander Steve Piacun, Argentine Deluca Pablo and Englishman Matthew Gareth will serve as match referees, with Uganda’s Paul “Foxxy” Ojambo serving as a performance reviewer.
11TH OVERALL
David Guerin (England) will be the referee coach, while the Zimbabwean duo of Mudiwa Mundawarara and Bongai Zamchiya will serve as citing commissioner and judicial officer respectively.
Meanwhile, Kenya finished 11th overall at the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series qualifiers in Hong Kong after beating Mexico 55-0 for their only win at the championship. They had earlier lost their preliminary round matches on Friday 0-31 to Japan, 0-45 to eventual winners Fiji and 5-19 to Argentina.
They later lost 12-14 to hosts Hong Kong on Saturday before their win over Mexico.
Fiji, China, France and South Africa will play at every event on the IRB Women’s Sevens World Series in the 2014/15 season after reaching the Cup semis of the qualifier on Saturday.
Fiji topped at the start of day two after three victories on day one, and proved too strong for Portugal, scoring four tries to win the opening quarter-final 28-7.
