HSBC SVNS 2: Kenya Lionesses surrender to Argentina after a tight affair
The HSBC SVNS 2 tourney continues to get tough for Kenya’s national women’s side, the Lionesses, after suffering a devastating third defeat at the hands of Argentina in their fourth outing of the competition on Sunday, February 15, 2026, at Nyayo National Stadium.
The home side surrendered to the South Americans 0-5 after showcasing resilience for the better part of the encounter. The defeat leaves the Lionesses clinging to the top four place as the tourney turns to a decisive phase on Sunday, February 15, 2026.
Day one mixed results
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On Saturday, February 14, 2026, Kenyan teams had mixed results on the opening day of the HSBC SVNS 2 tournament in Nairobi. The Kenya Lionesses managed a win and two losses, while the Kenya 7s team, alias Shujaa, maintained a perfect record with three wins.
The Lionesses suffered an early blow in the tournament, losing marauding forward Phoebe Otieno to injury in their first game. The loss seemed to shock the Lionesses as they quickly went down two tries to Brazil. Despite the setback, the Lionesses managed to claw back and win that game 15-12, their only win on day one.
From then on, the Lionesses found both China and South Africa to be tricky customers, as they narrowly lost to the two sides 12-15 and 10-12, respectively. The results put a massive dent in the Lionesses’ campaign and chances of promotion from HSBC SVNS 2.
After the defeat to Argentina, the Lionesses will face Spain in a do-or-die fixture at 3:56 pm. Argentina keep flying high at the tournament, having beaten China 20-10, Spain 17-19, fellow South Americans Brazil 28-17 and Kenya 5-0.
Shujaa shine on
On the other side of the spectrum, the Kenya 7s team managed three wins out of three on day one of the tournament. The Shujaa is one of only two teams that managed this feat on day one, as the USA Eagles also managed three wins out of three.
On their way to the spotless record, Kenya 7s managed to beat Canada 17 – 7, Belgium 33-0 and Germany 15-10. In true save the best for last fashion, Kenya vs Germany lived up to the billing as the Kenya 7s had to dig deep to win the game 15-10 after extra time.
