The Kenya National Women’s Rugby Sevens team, Kenya Lionesses, began their Challenger Series journey with an impressive 20-5 win against Samoa on Saturday, March 1, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa.

After several minutes of searching for a breakthrough against Samoa’s defense, captain Grace Okullo found space on the left wing and raced clear to score the first try. Although the conversion attempt was unsuccessful, the Lionesses took an early 5-0 lead.

As the game approached halftime, the Lionesses’ relentless pressure forced Samoa to receive their second yellow card. Capitalizing on the numerical advantage, Kenya scored another try through Grace Okullo, extending their lead to 10-0, a margin they maintained until the halftime whistle.

The second half saw Samoa capitalize on a defensive lapse from Kenya, with Malia Nikalau powering through two defenders to score, narrowing the deficit to 10-5.

However, the Lionesses continued to dominate, with Naomi Amuguni adding another unconverted try to extend their lead to 15-5. Moments later, Grace Okullo sliced through Samoa’s defense again, completing her hat trick and bringing the score to 20-5, a lead that Kenya held onto for victory.

The Lionesses will now face Poland in their next fixture later today at 7:30 PM.

Having fallen 19-12 to South Africa in last year’s Challenger Series final, the Lionesses aim for a top-four finish in the overall standings to secure a spot in the HSBC SVNS playoff tournament.

The top eight teams from the opening rounds will advance to the third leg of the Challenger Series, scheduled for April 11-12 in Krakow, Poland.

Following this round, the top four teams will qualify for the HSBC SVNS playoff tournament in Los Angeles on May 3-4, where they will compete for a place in the elite HSBC SVNS circuit.