Kenya Lionesses head coach Dennis Mwanja believes their emphatic 17-0 victory over South Africa in the second leg of the HSBC Challenger Series on Saturday in Cape Town was nothing short of poetic justice.
After suffering back-to-back defeats to the Springbok Women in Tunisia 2023 and Ghana 2024, the Lionesses finally dominantly turned the tide.
Kenya’s Sevens Queens silenced the hosts on their turf, notching consecutive Challenger Series wins after their 17-12 triumph over Argentina in the first leg a week earlier also in Cape Town.
Mwanja urged his charges to leave everything on the pitch in the final to ensure they secured the win.
“We lost to South Africa in Tunisia 2023 and again in Ghana 2024 so this victory is poetic justice for us. The girls believed in themselves and they beat SA in this final,” Mwanja said.
“In the final, I told the players to go and leave it all on the pitch.”
The Lionesses wasted no time imposing their authority. Speedster Naomi Amuguni struck first, weaving past her marker to dot down for an early 5-0 lead.
Flyhalf Sinaida Mokaya’s conversion attempt sailed wide, but Kenya held firm heading into halftime. Mwanja’s charges turned up the heat in the second half.
Off a scrum deep in South Africa’s 22, Mokaya swung the ball to veteran Sheila Chajira, who linked up with the electric Sharon Auma.
Auma’s blistering pace proved too much for the Springbok Women’s defence as she raced to the posts for a converted try, stretching Kenya’s advantage to 12-0 with three minutes left.
The head coach then introduced fresh legs, bringing on Freshia Oduor for Auma. The impact was instant and Oduor, just as quick on the wing, sealed the win with a corner-post try.
Though the conversion attempt fell short, the damage was done, Kenya closed out a commanding 17-0 victory.
The Lionesses navigated a tough Pool A, opening their campaign with a 17-5 win over Belgium before grinding out a 10-5 victory against neighbors Uganda to book a semifinal clash with Colombia.
Mwanja admitted the knockout stages tested his side’s composure.
“Playing against Uganda and Colombia was tough for us and in the semifinal, our girls looked a bit rattled,” he said.
However, the Lionesses kept their nerves in check, edging Colombia 12-5 to storm into the cup final against the hosts.
“In the Colombia game we wanted to keep possession of the ball and using our chances, being able to utilize our opportunities,” Mwanja added.
With two successive wins in Cape Town, the Lionesses now sit atop the standings with 40 points, ahead of South Africa (34) and Argentina (30).
The third leg of the Challenger Series will be held on April 11-12 in Krakow, Poland.
