Kenya 7s settled for eighth place at the Valladolid 7s after falling 14-5 to France in the HSBC SVNS World Championship at Estadio José Zorrilla in Valladolid, Spain.
The encounter marked the second consecutive meeting between the two sides, with Shujaa having beaten France 21-7 in Hong Kong earlier in the season to secure seventh place.
Aware that another top-seven finish would boost their campaign, Kenya struggled to convert possession into points. France struck first through Enahemo Artaud, who finished off a break down the left wing to hand his side an early lead.
Artaud crossed again in the seventh minute to extend France’s advantage before John Okoth touched down in the corner to reduce the deficit and keep Shujaa in contention.
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In the second half, France’s defence stood firm, denying Kenya clear scoring opportunities. Shujaa’s hopes of a comeback were further dented when Victor Odhiambo Mola was shown a yellow card late in the match, leaving the side a man down.
Despite the numerical advantage, France could not add to their tally but held on to claim seventh place, with Kenya finishing the tournament in eighth position.
Shujaa now shift focus to France which will be a crucial leg that will determine if they will be in top tier next season.
