Shujaa ran rampant in 43-5 mauling of Portugal

A resounding start typified Kenya’s charge at the Vancouver 7s in Canada on Saturday as Shujaa hammered Portugal 43 – 5 in their opening Pool A match at the sixth stop of the 2015/16 World Sevens Series.

Benjamin Ayimba’s boys were quick off the blocks when Collins Injera crossed the white wash for the first try after just a minute with Biko Adema missing the resultant conversion.

Even before the vociferous Kenyan fans had settled back to their seats, Shujaa doubled the lead when Oscar Ayodi showed a clean pair of heels from the kick off after Wiliam Ambaka displayed his aerial skills to retrieve the ball mid air to offload to the Homeboyz speedster.

Adema was on target with the extras for a 12 – 0 advantage. Billy Odhiambo scythed through the Portuguese defense but he was tackled 15 meters from the try line.

Oscar Ouma recovered the ball from the resultant ruck and spotted a gap on the blind side to power his way to the try line for Kenya’s third try.

Adema added two more points with the boot for a convincing 26 – 0 advantage at the interval.

In the second half, Dennis Ombachi and Leonard Mugaisi came in as substitutes and the duo’s impact was immediately felt as they provided the platform for Kenya’s fifth try with Adema dummying his way to the whitewash.

The Nondescripts fly half however, failed to convert his own effort from the difficult angle.

Portugal scored a consolation five-pointer when Adema’s tackle attempt on Joao Bello fell short enabling the 21 year-old to pounce.

Adema’s replacement, Sammy Oliech scored his first international sevens try to seal the victory by an emphatic 43 – 5.

Kenya’s litmus test will be against two Pacific powerhouses, Samoa at 1.15am and Fiji 4 hours later. Kenya needs to finish in the top two in the pool to automatically qualify for the main cup quarterfinals