Kenya Sevens’ campaign at the HSBC SVNS World Championship in Hong Kong hit another setback after a 28–12 loss to New Zealand at the Kai Tak Sports Park, leaving their promotion hopes hanging in the balance.

Coming into the clash, Shujaa were already under pressure following their 14–5 defeat to Australia in the opening match. The challenge was always going to be steep against a New Zealand side they had not beaten in their last 13 meetings, a run stretching back to 2018.

New Zealand asserted control early. Roderick Solo crossed over for the opening try, which was converted to give them a 7–0 lead. They quickly built on that advantage, with Sam Clarke finishing off a well-executed move from a scrum to stretch the score to 14–0.

Kenya, however, showed flashes of resistance. Kevin Wekesa powered through two defenders on the edge to score in the corner, reducing the deficit to 14–5 and giving Shujaa a foothold in the contest heading into halftime.

The second half followed a similar pattern, with New Zealand capitalizing on key moments. Brady Rush intercepted a pass and raced clear, outpacing George Ooro to extend the lead to 21–5. Kenya responded again, this time through Nygel Amaitsa, who finished off a well-worked move under the posts, with the conversion bringing the score to 21–12.

Any hopes of a comeback were ended when Kele Lasaqa finished off a flowing move, sealing the victory for New Zealand to 28–12 and underlining the clinical edge that separated the sides.

For Kevin Wambua’s men, the defeat leaves them bottom of Pool C without a point after two matches. With only one group game remaining against the United States, the margin for error has now disappeared.

As the tournament serves as a pathway to HSBC SVNS 1, Shujaa must regroup quickly and deliver a strong response. Last pool match is against the USA tomorrow [Saturday ] from 8.21PM. It’s a must win to keep their promotion ambitions alive ..