Kenya Lionesses coach Simon Odongo has challenged his players to sharpen their decision-making and defensive discipline as they prepare for the Africa Cup Sevens Championship at the RFUEA Ground on November 7-8.
Odongo is pleased with the team’s successful Safari Sevens title defence last weekend but insists they must improve in key areas to compete against the continent’s best sides.
Kenya showcased their depth by fielding three teams at the tournament, with the senior Lionesses, Junior Lionesses and Shibli —all getting valuable competitive exposure.
“Yes, we are delighted with the victory and how we have blooded new players into other squads, such as the Junior Lionesses and Shibli. However, some facets of our play, particularly decision-making, need to be sharper. We must make the right calls in both attack and defence,” said Odongo.
The tactician singled out one-on-one tackling as another area requiring improvement before the continental showpiece. “Our one-on-one tackling will have to be better going forward. We will meet quality teams that will punish mistakes, so we cannot afford to be lax. Overall, I love the girls’ work rate and performance. It is a good foundation heading into the Africa Cup and the international season,” he added.
The Lionesses dominated the Safari Sevens, beating Tuks Women 43-0, Junior Lionesses 19-5 and Shibli 10-7 before edging Tunisia 19-17 in the semi-finals and overwhelming Uganda 22-5 in the final.
The tournament also provided a platform for emerging players to stake their claims for places in the national team, with competition expected to intensify when training resumes.
“We had outstanding performances across all three teams. We will resume training soon as we start preparations for the Africa Cup and name an 18-20-player squad for the international season,” Odongo said.
Marvel Oswago and Catherine Elizabeth impressed for the senior Lionesses, while Diana Nyambura and Rose Nanjala stood out for the Junior Lionesses. Valentine Kerubo and Sharon Iminiza also enhanced their credentials with strong performances for Shibli.
Kenya have bigger ambitions beyond the Africa Cup, with the tournament offering an opportunity to strengthen their push to return to the HSBC SVNS 3 competition before targeting promotion to SVNS 2.
Odongo said lessons from last season’s mixed campaign informed their preparations, adding that the emergence of young talent was giving the technical bench more options. “We had a mixed campaign last year in the series, so we have learnt our lessons. We now have a talent pipeline of young players coming through who are putting pressure on the seniors, and that gives us options,” he said.
