Having lost all their group matches, Kenya recovered to win back-to-back matches against Uruguay and Samoa, ending the Games on a high. The outcome mirrored their performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, where they also finished ninth after winning two matches.
On Thursday, Shujaa triumphed over Uruguay in a thrilling sudden-death match, ending with a 19-14 victory. This win set up a contest against Samoa for the 9th-10th place position.
Kenya did not disappoint, avenging their 26-0 defeat to Samoa in the last Pool B match by securing a 10-5 victory. John Okoth was the hero, scoring two tries to seal the win.
Kenya gained experience from the Olympics
Head coach Wambua expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, highlighting the experience gained by his relatively inexperienced players.
"I am so happy with what the boys have done, finishing ninth, like in Tokyo, is not stagnant nor an improvement; for us, it was about getting the experience,” said Wambua. "This team cannot be compared to the Tokyo one with stars like Collins Injera, Andrew Amonde, and Willy Ambaka… it’s a pretty young squad.
“It was quite a decent display and I am very happy with what the boys achieved, three-quarters of the squad being the first time they play in the Olympics, the competition level was very high.”
Wambua said the team had taken a lot of positives from the Games, and further said it was a good pre-season as they prepare to make a comeback to the HSBC SVNS.
“I think for us it was all about trusting our systems and seeing how we can play against the top boys, so for us it was a pre-season before the pre-season as far as the HSBC circuit is goals, so I am very happy with the boys' performance, they played their hearts out and that is what every coach needs,” he explained.
Shujaa secured their return to the HSBC SVNS for 2025 after defeating Germany 33-15 in their winner-takes-all playoff match in Madrid, Spain on Sunday, June 2nd, 2024.
Wambua added: “I think for us, again I will summarise that I will say that the Olympics is the top elite competition in terms of sports, and our first game against defending series champions Argentina and second game against Australia, which is a top three-nation in terms of how they are ranked in the series - us coming from the challenge and straight qualifying for the circuit, I give credit to the boys because they did well.
“There is room for improvement but I think they showed glimpses of what their capabilities are and for me, I am just happy we must continue trusting the process.”
On losing to Samoa in the group stage, Wambua said: “I put it down to some indiscipline but we were able to get the opportunity to recollect ourselves and the boys played with much more composure, our attack was great but our defence was even better and that is what we just needed to finish the games and to finish the Olympics.”
On picking up back-to-back wins against Uruguay and Samoa, he said: “I think it was fantastic, getting back-to-back wins is not an easy task for a group of young players. The leadership was also impressive, in terms of the captains and senior players who have a little bit of experience in the team.”
What next for Shujaa after the Olympics?
According to Wambua, Kenya will need to rectify mistakes from their Olympics campaign to get ready for the 2025 HSBC SVNS campaign.
“There is little room for error in HSBC SVNS, we just need to see how we can clean up that mess. There have been good bits but we just know we need to play consistently for 14 minutes of every game, so we are going to work hard on that and see where we go,” offered Wambua.
“I like to see that (fighting spirit) as a team continue, but all in all, I am happy with the boys, they put the best foot forward and we are looking forward to the future.”
Wambua concluded: “ I want the players to go for a break because they have earned it, it is been a very long season from when we started qualifying for the Olympics to qualifying for the circuit.
'I like them to go for a small break, just forget about rugby, have some time off with their family because they haven’t been doing that for a while now because they have been travelling a lot. I think all the parties should try to make the players happy, make sure their contracts are sorted before we start our pre-season.”
Shujaa co-captain captain Tony Omondi said despite missing their target of coming home with a medal, Kenya had performed well. “It was a successful hunt, I know we had promised Kenyans a medal from the Olympics, but that wasn’t possible.”
Placed in Group B alongside Australia, Argentina, and Samoa, Shujaa finished last with just three points. Australia topped the group with nine points, followed by Argentina ( seven) and Samoa (five).
Shujaa began their pool games with a 31-12 loss to Olympic bronze medalists Argentina, followed by a 21-7 defeat to Australia. They closed the group stage with a 26-0 loss to Samoa. The host nation, France clinched the title after defeating Fiji 28-7 while South Africa took bronze with a 26-19 win over Australia.
Shujaa will shift their focus to preparing for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, where they are poised to make a swift comeback.
