Kenya Sevens head coach Kevin Wambua will trim his provisional squad from 33 to 25 players after this weekend’s Safari Sevens at Nyayo Stadium, with the tournament providing a crucial audition for places in the team that will compete in the HSBC Sevens Series next year.
The hosts will field two sides at the three-day tournament, with defending champions Shujaa joined by Morans, who recently competed at the Africa Sevens Championship in Mauritius.
Wambua said the two teams will give him a clearer picture of the players, who have done enough to make the final squad ahead of the HSBC Sevens Series, which kicks off in January.
“We had a very robust and competitive national sevens series where new talent emerged. In the training sessions, they have put their hands up, and we expect them to compete for positions in the team,” said Wambua.
The tactician challenged the younger players to raise their game while urging the more experienced members of the squad to fight for their places. Kenya have had limited time to prepare for Safari Sevens, with Wambua revealing that the players have completed only about 10 training sessions since assembling.
“We have had like 10 training sessions since we assembled, but the boys have shown resilience and grit, always learning to become better players. With the two squads to be named later this week, I am confident they will put up impressive performances,” he said.
Wambua said the team has focused on set-piece clarity, attack and defence during their preparations, with the focus on ensuring every player understands his role. “We have worked on those areas, and we are polishing them to ensure the boys know their core roles and are up to the task at Safari Sevens,” he said.
The coach views the Safari Sevens and the Africa Sevens Championship as important building blocks as Kenya prepares for the next HSBC Sevens campaign.
“The long-term goal is to be in good shape by the time we start the HSBC Sevens Series. We have worked on all facets of our play, and we hope we can gain promotion to Division One come the end of the season, as well as qualify for the Los Angeles Olympics,” Wambua said.
Kenya finished second in the Sevens Challenger Series with 50 points after strong outings in Nairobi, Montevideo and Sao Paulo. They, however, missed out on a place in the top eight of the championship series after disappointing results in Hong Kong, Valladolid and Bordeaux.
The United States took the final qualification spot, leaving Kenya to plot another route back to the top tier. Safari Sevens, running from October 9-11 at Nyayo Stadium, will therefore offer Wambua another chance to assess his options before settling on the squad that will spearhead Kenya’s campaign for promotion and Olympic qualification.
