HSBC 7s World Championship: Shujaa earn govt praise despite mixed Bordeaux outing
By Luke Oluoch, June 7, 2026The Principal Secretary for sports, Elijah Mwangi, has singled out the Kenya Rugby Sevens team Shujaa for a phenomenal performance following their win over Uruguay on Sunday, May 7, 2026, in the final leg of the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Bordeaux, France
Mwangi is in France and was part of Kenya’s support base from the stands, where Shujaa finished 11th after the win against the South Americans.
The outcome slightly lifted Shujaa’s hope of qualifying for the top division of the series next season, even as their fate now hangs by a thread following a slow start that saw the team lose all of their opening group matches in the French city.
On Saturday, June 6, 2026, Shujaa suffered a 14-5 loss to Great Britain, sealing a dismal group phase without registering a single win.
The defeat marked Kenya’s third consecutive setback in the French city, following earlier losses against Fiji and South Africa on Friday, June 5, 2026.
The team bounced back to collect their maiden win, prompting praise from the government official.
Deserved plaudits
“And the boys did it! Overcoming a tough Uruguay team by 26-7 is a phenomenal feat that deserves plaudits,” Mwangi’s statement on Facebook read.
“Despite a slow start in Bordeaux, Shujaa has stormed back in style and demonstrated the genius that makes Team Kenya a truly formidable team.”
As the race for the top division now stands, Kenya now relies on Fiji’s victory over the USA to confirm their place among the core teams for the next term.
Dwindling prospects
Mwangi has, however, remained hopeful that the mission will be achieved.
“We are grateful that, being the last day, we have made it, and our boys have shown resilience and have won 26-5 against Uruguay. We hope that this win will help us to get the necessary points so that we can transition to Division One. Our ultimate target is to ascend to HSBC SVNS DIV 1 and showcase our spectacular sporting prowess against the best in the global rugby arena,” Mwangi added.
The final leg of the HSBC came as a make-or-break moment for Shujaa as Kevin Wambua sought to salvage HSBC’s top-tier stake.
Their start was, however, compounded by kicking off their group games with losses before France added a fourth loss to the team, leaving them to contest the 11th-place position against Uruguay
\