Kenya and Uganda Clash in Rugby Africa Cup Semifinals

The Kenya Lionesses are set to meet their neighbors, Uganda, in the semifinals of the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens tournament in Monastir, Tunisia. The tournament has witnessed both teams showcasing strong performances in the initial rounds.

Coach Dennis Mwanja’s Kenyan team dominated in Pool “B” by defeating Zambia 27-0, Ghana 41-0, and Madagascar, delivering a decisive statement to their opponents.

Uganda, on the other hand, secured their spot in the semifinals by finishing second in Pool “A.” They suffered a 19-0 loss to the defending champions, South Africa, but bounced back with victories over Tunisia (12-5) and Zimbabwe (22-0).

This match holds particular significance for Kenya, as they aim to secure an automatic ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The two teams previously met at the group stage in the last edition of the tournament in Tunisia, with Uganda emerging victorious with a score of 10-7. This loss contributed to Kenya’s lowest finish since 2014.

In their first match of this year’s tournament, Kenya displayed a dominant performance against Zambia, with tries from Stella Wafula and Janet Okello, while Diana Omosso contributed with a try. Captain Grace Okulu successfully made a conversion. In the following match against Ghana, Sharon Auma scored three tries, while Wafula, Okello, and Terry Ayesa each notched a try. Kenya previously faced Ghana and Zambia in the last edition, winning 20-0 and 12-5 in classification matches, respectively.

In the past, South Africa had opted out of participating in the Olympics via the African qualifiers route due to the rules set by the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (Sascoc). However, this situation changed in November 2019, and South Africa now competes in the qualifiers. The winner of the 2023 Africa title will gain an automatic qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The second and third-placed teams in the tournament will have another chance to qualify for the Olympics through the 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament in Monaco in June.

In addition to the sevens tournament, Kenya’s 15-a-side team, known as the Lionesses, commenced the WXV3 (women’s international rugby union) competition with a 37-0 loss to reigning European champions Spain. They are scheduled to face Kazakhstan and Colombia in their upcoming matches.

The tournament includes various other fixtures, including the 5th place semifinals, the cup semifinals, the bronze final, and the cup final.