Kenya Sevens team, Shujaa, are in a battle to fight relegation at the Hong Kong Sevens; they face New Zealand, Ireland, and South Africa this weekend
Shujaa are in 13th place in the World Rugby Sevens Series 2022/23 and will be fighting to avoid relegation. With only four rounds remaining, Shujaa is in a difficult position as after the 10th round in Toulouse the 12th, 13th, and 14th-placed teams will face off in a four-team relegation playoff.
The relegation playoff is in a round-robin format, with the top two teams (out of four) playing in the final to book a spot as the 12th core team in the 2024 Series. The other three will join their Regional Sevens Championships so as to qualify for the 2024 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series.
Coach Damian McGrath’s Shujaa will face New Zealand at the Hong Kong Sevens Series on Friday at 9:40 am; Ireland on Saturday at 6:28 am; and the final group match is against South Africa at 10:25 am.
Jeff Oluoch has made a return to the Shujaa squad and has expressed his desire to secure the team from relegation. His last cap came during the Rugby Sevens World Cup in November 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa, where Shujaa exited in the round of 16 after a 22-7 loss to Argentina.
Oluoch has affirmed his desire to win, “To all our fans out there, we thank you for the support out there. We still need you for the coming assignments and we are sure we will earn our slot and keep the side afloat as a core team”
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