The Shujaa failed to defend the sevens African title at the weekend, the side falling at the final hurdle, losing 38-5 to South Africa.
The side kicked off the campaign with a close 14-7 win against Namibia in Pool B. They would then silence the home crowd with a 19-17 win over the Sables of Zimbabwe. Having come off unscathed in the tougher fixtures in the pool, they were in free flowing form as they dispatched of Nigeria 38-5.
Having a perfect 3 out of 3 record, the boys might be forgiven for letting the foot off the accelerator, narrowly losing to neighbours Uganda 14-12. Despite that loss, the side closed day 1 top of Pool B, with one game to play against Ivory Coast.
At this point Shujaa were assured of a place in the semi finals, the battle for the side to join them from this Pool was what most anticipated. Zimbabwe and Namibia had all lost one match, to the Shujaa and were to play each other on Day 2, in a winner takes all encounter. Remember Zimbabwe and Namibia are perennial rivals, kind of like what we have with UG, just not as easy hehe.
The Shujaa sealed top spot with a convincing 51-0 win over Ivory coast. Zimbabwe having edged out Namibia 14-7 joined them in the cup semi finals. Shujaa would face Tunisia, the two sides having met at the same stage last year. The other semi pitted Zimbabwe against the South Africa ‘Academy.’
The last time Tunisia played Kenya at this stage, in Mombasa, Kenya were 31-0 winners. The Shujaa stuck to the script easily running over the North Africans, 29-5. The South Africans had a harder time in their semi final, eventually coming out with a 19-12 win.
It was the cup final we had all expected, the defending champions Kenya taking on the dominant South Africa. With names like Chris Dry, Devon Williams, WJ Strydom, Shaun Adendorff and Rosko Specmanwe we are not quite sure what the ‘Academy’ part was for in the South African team.
The final kicked off at a frantic pace, the sides trading early tries for a 5-5 score inside the first 3 minutes. It was the closest the game would get, as South Africa headed into the break on a 12-5 lead. The flood gates would open in the second half as Shujaa looked disjointed in the kick offs, conceding 19 points for a 38-5 final score.
A great run by the Shujaa, though that loss to Uganda kind of leaves an unwanted feeling. The greater picture however, looks really good, the squad can be proud of the outing, sure they have picked up great lessons over the two days. It was also a true showing of our current depth.
It means a lot that we are still the top dogs in the continent, outside the South Africans. It puts us in a great place with Olympic qualification on the way. Attention now shifts to the Kenya sevens who will be playing in Dubai at the weekend, let’s hope we are in for a good outing. Expect more on them in the week..
Collated CAR cup results :
Shujaa 14-7 v Namibia
Shujaa 19-17 v Zimbabwe
Shujaa 38-5 v Nigeria
Shujaa 12-14 v Uganda
Shujaa 51-0 v Cote d’Ivoire
Shujaa 29-5 v Tunisia (Cup Semifinal)
Shujaa 5-38 v South Africa (Cup Final)
KWISHA…Nimeruka Nje
