Kenya Lionesses rugby coach Dennis Mwanja called Saturday's 17-0 win over South Africa sweet payback. His team had lost to South Africa twice before—back in Tunisia in 2023 and again in Ghana in 2024. The Kenya women have been on fire lately, beating Argentina 17-12 just a week earlier at the same Cape Town venue. Before the final match, Mwanja told his players to leave everything on the field.
Kenya scored first when speedster Naomi Amuguni dodged her defender and ran across the goal line for 5 points. Sinaida Mokaya missed the extra kick, but Kenya kept South Africa from scoring through halftime. The Kenyan women turned up the heat after the break. They won a scrum deep in South African territory, and Mokaya passed to veteran Sheila Chajira, who connected with the lightning-fast Sharon Auma.
No South African defender could catch Auma as she blazed to the goalposts. This time, Mokaya nailed the kick, pushing Kenya ahead 12-0 with just three minutes left. Coach Mwanja sent in fresh legs, swapping Freshia Oduor for Auma. The move paid off right away when Oduor sprinted to score near the corner flag. The kick missed, but it hardly mattered – Kenya had dominated with a 17-0 shutout victory.
The Kenya team had battled through some tough matches to reach the championship game. They opened by beating Belgium 17-5 and then squeaked past their neighbors Uganda 10-5 to win their group. Mwanja admitted his players looked nervous during the knockout rounds. Despite the pressure, the Lionesses stayed cool and defeated Colombia 12-5 to earn their shot against the home team South Africa.
The coach explained they planned to control the ball against Colombia and make the most of their chances. These back-to-back wins in Cape Town have pushed Kenya to the top of the standings with 40 points. South Africa trails with 34 points, and Argentina sits third with 30 points. The teams will meet again for the third tournament leg on April 11-12 in Krakow, Poland.
Kenya scored first when speedster Naomi Amuguni dodged her defender and ran across the goal line for 5 points. Sinaida Mokaya missed the extra kick, but Kenya kept South Africa from scoring through halftime. The Kenyan women turned up the heat after the break. They won a scrum deep in South African territory, and Mokaya passed to veteran Sheila Chajira, who connected with the lightning-fast Sharon Auma.
No South African defender could catch Auma as she blazed to the goalposts. This time, Mokaya nailed the kick, pushing Kenya ahead 12-0 with just three minutes left. Coach Mwanja sent in fresh legs, swapping Freshia Oduor for Auma. The move paid off right away when Oduor sprinted to score near the corner flag. The kick missed, but it hardly mattered – Kenya had dominated with a 17-0 shutout victory.
The Kenya team had battled through some tough matches to reach the championship game. They opened by beating Belgium 17-5 and then squeaked past their neighbors Uganda 10-5 to win their group. Mwanja admitted his players looked nervous during the knockout rounds. Despite the pressure, the Lionesses stayed cool and defeated Colombia 12-5 to earn their shot against the home team South Africa.
The coach explained they planned to control the ball against Colombia and make the most of their chances. These back-to-back wins in Cape Town have pushed Kenya to the top of the standings with 40 points. South Africa trails with 34 points, and Argentina sits third with 30 points. The teams will meet again for the third tournament leg on April 11-12 in Krakow, Poland.
