Kenya Shujaa cemented their dominance at the Safari Sevens after defeating Kenya Morans 24-5 in an all-Kenyan final at Nyayo National Stadium on Sunday to claim a fifth consecutive title.

The victory extended Shujaa’s unbeaten run at the tournament to 29 matches, with their last defeat coming against Germany during the 2021 group stage. The national sevens side also stretched its unbeaten streak at Nyayo during the competition to 16 matches.

Beyond the title race, the tournament provided Kenya’s technical bench with a valuable opportunity to assess talent and identify the strongest combination ahead of the World Rugby SVNS 2 campaign.

The final pitted the senior Shujaa side against the development-oriented Morans, offering the coaches an opportunity to evaluate players from both squads. The competition also saw players who featured in the Morans’ victorious campaign in Mauritius, including Gabriel Ayimba and Victor Mola, earn opportunities in the Shujaa setup.

Their performances highlighted the depth of talent available to Kenya as the technical team considers its options for upcoming international assignments.

For the Morans, the final offered an opportunity to reclaim the crown for the first time since 2019, when Kenya’s second-string side defeated South Africa 19-14. However, they came up against a Shujaa outfit determined to maintain its dominance on home soil.

The Morans started brightly, putting the defending champions under pressure and earning a temporary numerical advantage after Samuel Asati was sent to the sin bin.

They nearly capitalised on the opportunity, but Lucky Onyango knocked on close to the try line, allowing Shujaa to escape. The Morans continued to probe, while Kenya’s first major attacking attempt ended with Brian Mutua being forced into touch.

Neither side managed to break the deadlock in the opening half, but Shujaa returned from the break with greater attacking precision.

Rayvone Ambale opened the scoring after selling a dummy to beat the Morans defence before crossing the line. He converted his try to give Shujaa a 7-0 lead.

The champions struck again following a counter-ruck, with Victor Mola gathering possession and weaving through the Morans defence. The successful conversion stretched the advantage to 14-0.

Shujaa continued to dictate proceedings as Festus Shiasi crossed for another try before John Okoth added the fourth, taking the score to 24-0.

The Morans eventually found a response through Dennis Ndayala, who finished a move created by substitute Harrison Mauve after a promising break. However, the late score could not change the outcome as Shujaa sealed a convincing 24-5 victory.

Shujaa had powered into the final with a 54-5 quarter-final demolition of Wonder 7s before shutting out French Renegades 36-0 in the semi-finals.

The Morans defeated SportPesa Fast Forwards 38-15 in the quarter-finals before overcoming Shogun 31-10 in the last four.

Shujaa’s fifth consecutive crown further underlines their standing at the Safari Sevens, while the tournament has given Kenya’s coaches a timely opportunity to weigh their options as attention shifts to the SVNS 2 campaign.