Kenya Morans’ encouraging start to the Mauritius Sevens came to an abrupt end on Saturday after Madagascar produced a dominant display to beat them 26-0 and top Pool B at the SPARC International Rugby Stadium in Cascavelle.
Kenya opened their campaign on a positive note with a 34-12 victory over Namibia. Brian Mutua scored the opening try to give the Morans a 5-0 lead, before Gabriel Ayimba pulled Kenya back into the contest. Victor Odhiambo Mola then produced a spectacular chip-and-chase try to restore Kenya’s advantage at 22-12. Rayvone Ambale set up Ayimba for his second try, before Arnold Ogonda crossed for Kenya’s final try to seal a convincing win.
The Morans then followed it up with another convincing win, a 19-0 triumph over Réunion with Lucky Onyango opening the scoring after bursting into space on the left wing, Rayvon Ambale adding the second, and Dennis Livoi completing a well-worked team move for the third try, before their pool campaign ended on a difficult note against Madagascar.
Madagascar took control early after winning possession from a scrum. Yvon Randriamialisoa found space through an inside pass and raced clear to put the Makis ahead.
Kenya struggled to establish the attacking rhythm that had characterised their earlier matches, and Madagascar capitalised on another mistake before the break. Rado Randrianalisoa intercepted a pass and sprinted clear for a second try, which was converted to give the Makis a 14-0 advantage at halftime.
The pressure continued after the restart, with Jean Yves Randriamalala breaking through the Kenyan defence to extend Madagascar’s lead to 21-0.
A fourth try in the corner completed a one-sided contest as Madagascar secured a 26-0 victory and finished top of Pool B.
The result also extended Madagascar’s remarkable run against Kenya in Mauritius. The Makis had beaten Kenya 7-5 and 24-19 in 2024 before edging them 14-12 in the 2025 semi-final. Saturday’s victory made it four successive wins over the Morans in the competition since 2024.
With Madagascar taking top spot in Pool B, Kenya will now face South Africa in the Cup semi-final on Sunday, the match is set for 10:44am at SPARC, Cascavelle, with the other semi-final pitting Madagascar against Burkina Faso at 11:06am.
The winners will advance to the Cup final scheduled for 3:11pm, while the semi-final losers will meet in the bronze final at 1:35pm.
The Mauritius assignment comes ahead of the 28th edition of Safari Sevens, which will be held at Nyayo National Stadium from October 9 to 11, giving the Morans another opportunity to assess their progress against some of Africa’s leading sevens sides.
