The Kenya National Men’s Rugby Team, Shujaa, suffered their first defeat of the tournament, falling 29-14 to New Zealand in their opening match of the ongoing third round of the 2024/2025 HSBC World Rugby Series – Perth 7s in Australia on Friday, January 24.
New Zealand struck first through Frank Vaenuku in the first minute of the game, with Ngarohi McGarvey-Black converting the try for a 7-0 lead.
George Ooro then broke through New Zealand’s defense to score Kenya’s first try, with Nygel Amaitsa adding the conversion to level the scores at 7-7. As the game approached halftime, Regan Ware scored a try, which was converted by Ngarohi McGarvey-Black, bringing the score to 14-7 in favor of New Zealand at the break.
Shujaa managed to recover shortly into the second half with a try from speedster Patrick Odongo, which was converted by Nygel Amaitsa. However, this momentum was short-lived as New Zealand quickly responded with an unconverted try from Andrew Knewstubb, extending their lead to 19-14.
New Zealand then further extended their lead with a try from Cody Vai, and Ngarohi McGarvey-Black added another conversion to secure a 29-14 victory over Shujaa.
Shujaa, who are in Pool C alongside Fiji, New Zealand, and Uruguay, now shift their focus to their second pool phase match against Fiji, scheduled for 10:59 AM.
They will conclude their pool phase fixtures on Saturday, January 25, at 7:00 AM, when they face Uruguay.
