The Kenya Lionesses will battle neighbors Uganda and Belgium
in Pool A as the second leg of the 2025 HSBC Challenger Series takes centre
stage in Cape Town, South Africa, next weekend.
The Kenya Sevens women’s side was seeded after winning
the first leg with a 17-12 victory over Argentina in the final of the first leg
at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
Lionesses head coach Dennis Mwanja will be seeking to
continue with the momentum after winning their first-ever international
tournament with victory in the first leg.
Lionesses won the title unbeaten, having beaten South Africa
19-15 in the semis, at the back of a 29-7 win over Poland and hammering of
Samoa 20-5 in pool D.
“It has been our
ambition every year to qualify for the World Series, and I believe we can do it
this time. We prepared well during our training, and the first leg results in
Cape Town motivates us to keep going as we make our own history,” Mwanja said
ahead of the second round.
Lionesses have dominated their neighbors, Uganda, having
hammered them 19-0 in the Africa Cup 7s in Accra, Ghana, last year.
However, they have to be wary of the Balgians, who overcame
26-7 in Krakow, Poland, in a tough 3rd-place playoff last year.
The result saw Kenya narrowly miss out on the HSBC Sevens
playoffs in Madrid.
The Kenyan beauties, led by captain Grace Okulu, Freshia Oduor, Judith Okumu, and Faith Livoi, among others, are eyeing a top-four finish in the overall
standings to earn a spot in the HSBC SVNS play-off tournament in Los Angeles.
Kenya narrowly missed out on qualification, after finishing
fifth overall, just outside the crucial top four.
Last year, Poland edged Kenya to the fourth spot and went on
to play in the final shootout in Madrid.
Pool B will feature Argentina, Czechia, and Hong Kong China,
while Pool C consists of South Africa, Poland, and Samoa. Colombia, Thailand,
and Mexico will round up pool D. Pool E has Colombia, Thailand, and Mexico.
The third round takes place in Krakow, Poland, on April 11-12,
before heading to the HSBC sevens playoffs in Los Angeles, USA, on 3-4 May 2025.
