Shujaa fall to Great Britain at Bordeaux 7s
By Joel Masibo, June 6, 2026Kenya’s Shujaa struggles at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Bordeaux continued on Saturday, June 6, 2026, after the team suffered a 14-5 loss to Great Britain, completing the pool 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, leaving head coach Kevin Wambua’s side still searching for their first victory of the tournament.
In previous rounds of the World Championship series, Shujaa had often recovered from difficult starts by winning their final pool fixture to reach the quarter-finals. However, that familiar turnaround never materialised in Bordeaux as Great Britain proved superior in the decisive encounter.
Match report
Great Britain made an energetic start and immediately applied pressure, although Kenya initially responded well. David Nyangige secured possession for Shujaa, while a British infringement handed the Kenyans an early scrum.
Heading into the match, Kenya occupied eighth place on the standings with 14 points, while Great Britain sat 12th with four points, giving Shujaa extra motivation to secure a positive result.
From one scrum, Dennis Abukuse powered forward to gain valuable territory, but Kenya’s attack stalled near the British 22-metre area after losing possession under intense defensive pressure.
The breakthrough eventually arrived for Great Britain when Graham launched a perfectly weighted kick ahead. Charlton Kerr chased it down, evaded Samuel Asati’s challenge, and touched down for the opening try before the conversion stretched the lead to 7-0.
Kenya had an opportunity to hit back after Abukuse forced a turnover deep inside their own half, but they were unable to convert the possession into points.
The Britons quickly punished that missed chance. Finley Lloyd Gilmour broke through the Kenyan defence and sprinted clear for Great Britain’s second try. Another successful conversion handed the Europeans a commanding 14-0 advantage at the interval.
Second half action
The second half followed a similar script, with Great Britain controlling key moments at the breakdown and repeatedly winning possession through turnovers. Kenya enjoyed spells on the ball, including after capitalizing on a British lineout mistake, but struggled to build sustained attacking momentum.
As the contest approached its final stages, both teams exchanged attacks. Great Britain looked capable of extending their lead inside Kenya’s territory, but determined defending from Shujaa kept the scoreline unchanged.
Kenya finally crossed the whitewash in the closing moments. After sustained pressure close to the British try line, Patrick Odongo forced his way over for Shujaa’s only try of the game. The subsequent conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
With time already up on the clock, Great Britain kicked the ball into touch to confirm a 14-5 victory, leaving Kenya anxiously waiting to discover whether they will retain a place among the top eight teams in the overall standings.