Shujaa fall to South Africa to set Eye of the Tiger clash

Kenya 7s Shujaa will take on Eye of the Tiger in the Safland 7s quarterfinals after their charging run on Day One of the invitational tournament was brought to a halt by South Africa Blitzbokke in their final preliminary clash on Sunday morning.

Olympics bronze medal winners and heavy favourites Blitzbokke handed Innocent ‘Namcos’ Simiyu his first defeat of his tenure as Shujaa boss when the South Africans posted 22 unanswered points in their clash.

Ruhan Nel gave them a 7-0 lead at half-time through a converted try with the Shujaa duo of Leonard Mugaisi and Augustine Lugonzo who have sparkled in Namibia thus far kept out of the game.

While Shujaa managed to hold their own in the opening half, South Africa cut loose in the second as their superior quality started to show.

Nel added his brace soon after the restart to leave Shujaa chasing the game and the gaps were ruthlessly exploited as they piled forward to cross the Blitzbokke whitewash when Branco Du Preez put them 17-0 to the good shortly after William Ambaka was brought on.

Needing to put a score on the board, Simiyu’s side were once again caught out when Dylan Sage raced clear to score the fourth and final try on the counter for 22-0.

Blitzbokke will face Namibian development side Namibia Academy with Zambia taking on Germany in the quarters that will be rounded off by Shujaa taking on Eye of the Tiger.

With the HSBC World Sevens Series opener in Dubai fast approaching, South Africa gave former captain Simiyu a taste of what to expect in the elite competition as he prepares for his first tour since replacing Benjamin Ayimba at the helm.

Tags:

south africa germany Shujaa Zambia Namibia Augustine Lugonzo Blitzbokke Eye of the Tiger Innocnt 'Namcos' Simiyu Namibia Academy Ruhan Nel Safland 7s

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