Prior to the playoff, Shujaa defeated Chile 36-7 in their final pool game on Saturday. They had a narrow 10-5 loss to hosts Spain and a 19-12 victory over Samoa in their opening fixtures on Friday.
Kenya’s national men’s rugby team, the Shujaa, have triumphantly returned to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series for 2025 after defeating Germany 33-15 in a winner-takes-all playoff match in Madrid, Spain, on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
Germany, who had previously beaten Kenya twice in the Challenger Series this year, took an early lead with an unconverted try by Chris Umeh. However, Tony Omondi converted Vincent Onyala’s try to put Shujaa ahead 7-5.
The lead shifted again as Nicholas Koch scored an unconverted try for Germany, making it 10-7. But Chrisant Ojwang, fresh from the sin bin, scored to restore Kenya's lead at 12-10 by halftime.
In the second half, John Okoth extended Shujaa’s lead with a try under the posts, which Omondi converted for a 19-10 scoreline. Although Maximilian Heid scored an unconverted try for Germany, Shujaa responded decisively with tries from George Ooro and Kevin Wekesa, both converted by Omondi, sealing their return to the top tier after relegation in May 2023.
Prior to the playoff, Shujaa defeated Chile 36-7 in their final pool game on Saturday. They had a narrow 10-5 loss to hosts Spain and a 19-12 victory over Samoa in their opening fixtures on Friday.