Kenya Sevens world beaters

For lack of a better word, dramatic is what I'd call the just concluded Singapore 7s tournament. This was the first time in ten years rugby sevens was making a return to the scenic national stadium. The heat and humidity was little too much but discrete weather only adds to the thrill of the entire circuit. The tourney was part of an elaborate plan of adding extra legs in the sevens calendar. Vancouver was a major success in it's maiden season save for the chilling weather, let's hope Paris will be just as good. The guns fell silent on hong kong sevens barely a week ago with Fiji claiming the coveted prize. Coming into Singapore, top tier teams such As fiji, newzealand and Australia suffered the setback of injuries and relied heavily on reinforcements and as a result major upsets were anticipated. Some big names missing in action were Rawaca, Forbes, Jenkins and Kunatani among others. The blitzboke were by far the favourites having a complete and seasoned squad.They completed their pool matches in astounding style ,conceding only two tries in their first day. Fiji went down 28-14 to Manu Samoa in their opening group match analogous to the all blacks who were pummelled 24 points to nil by France, hats off to the big man Virimi Vakatawa. Australia would follow suit by falling to Argentina in their opening fixture as well. Kenya started off well by dismissing Russia but couldn't pick three points against Scotland thanks to Oscar Ayodi's antics at the whitewash (couldn't quite plant the ball inside the try area). A resilient Scotland fought back to share the spoils with shujaa. Kenya would fall to the boks by two unanswered tries in their final pool match, just enough to see them squeeze through to the cup quarters on point differential. In the quarters the boys booked a date with Les bleus whom they had failed to overcome in all four attempts this season. They were clearly the underdogs against a fancied French outfit with the likes of experienced Vakatawa, Parez, Lakafia and Candelon. But showing great temperament and discipline Kenya recovered from a try down to condemn their opponents 28-7. Pumas awaited the Shujaa in the semi finals, yet again this would promise to be cracker though the Americans had a slight advantage over their opponents winning the last three contests. Kenya had only just lost to Argentina 22-24 in the cup semis at the Cape Town sevens earlier this season. This time veteran Collins Injera kicked Kenya into the cup finals in the last seconds of play. The win ensured Kenya would feature in the finals for the first time since Wellington 7s in 2013. The game was tied after a very cagey affair, and something special like a 40 metre kick would be decisive in determining the outcome. In fact it was similar in many ways to the other semifinal pitting boks against the Fijians. The Fijians sailed through after scoring a dramatic try at the hooter, to leave the Scores at 26-21, it my opinion it was one of the best matches in the tournament's history. This meant the top of the bill match would inevitably be Kenya vs fiji, the two clashing in this level for the first time ever. Fiji had contested 59 finals, a far cry from Kenya's only 3rd attempt. It looked as though it would bear a predictable outcome, but downing a determined Kenyan side sometimes requires not only a stroke of luck but extraordinary character. The shujaa were looking to make amends after going down to England back in 2013 wellington 7s finals. In the last two meetings Fiji had only survied Kenyan onslaught at the hooter. Those matches bolstered confidence level in a mixed Kenyan squad of novices and veterans. I think the Kenyans somewhat waited to beat the Fijians when it mattered most, and what a way to asert revenge. Fiji never breached the Kenyan defence in the opening half despite conceding four outright tries. The kenyans had a huge physical presence winning the rucks and the turnovers unopposed. The defence was simply too good, forcing errors deep inside Fijian territory. Many know that Fiji are the undisputed comeback heroes, well they clawed their way back by one converted try after the break. Unfortunately It would be their only consolation as Kenya added two more tries to their tally to consolidate an unassailable lead. Surely it would take some preternatural effort to beat 30-7 scorline in under two minutes. And Kenya had just joined an elite group of nations to have won leg titles, a massive achievement in it's own right. They proceeded on to entertain the jeering crowd with their antics, what a spectacle, what a dance it was.The Fijians were outfoxed completely Ben Ryan described it as "brain explosion". He was quick to embrace defeat, and hailed shujaa on their spectacular display. Kenya had won its first cup in over a hundred attempts, by beating one of the most accomplished teams in the game. Centre Oscar Ayodi received the DHL impact player of the the tournament award, following his fulfilling display. Collins injera was awarded man of the match after scoring a brace to take his tally to 225 tries only five behind Santiago Gomez Cora the all time lead scorer. Willy Ambaka alias Kenyan Lomu made it back into the dream team for the second time this season, after an impressive weekend. Many young upcoming players were equally motivated as well, seven of them combined had less than 21 appearances, with Motari on his debut. Kenya is gradually becoming a new force and could soon be favourite contenders for the cup. They posses the craft and capacity to annihilate anybody on any day. They have proven their metle as gold chasers in the upcoming Rio olympics, having finished in top four in the last two editions of sevens world cup. According to Gordon Tietjens and Mike Friday, there are no easy fixtures in the series, the top tier teams are only dominant because of consistency. Kenya, United States and Argentina are mixing it up with the big boys and all fit the bill of worthy cup challengers. Congratulations on the win Kenya sevens.