Dubai Sevens runners New Zealand headline Pool ‘B’ where they face off against Australia, Spain and USA.
England, Scotland, Argentina and Uganda make up Pool ‘C’ as Fiji, Singapore 7s champions, Canada and Wales complete Pool ‘D’. Shujaa have fond memories about Cape Town having progressed to the main cup quarterfinals in 2016 and semifinals in 2015.
The side bagged 10 points in Dubai after making it to the main cup quarters after beating Canada (29-15) and Uganda (29-15), separated by a 48-5 hammering by South Africa.
Shujaa lost 14-12 to New Zealand to be relegated to the fifth place play-off where they lost 19-12 to Australia.
Team manager Eric Ogweno was encouraged by the team’s display but insisted that they need a killer instinct to beat the top sides in the world.
“It’s very encouraging we have 10 points in the bag but room for improvement. We dominated in the match against New Zealand but failed to take our chances. All in all, it gives us momentum heading to Cape Town next weekend,” said Ogweno.
He noted that they were monitoring the injuries to Dennis Ombachi and top try scorer Collins Injera. Ombachi suffered an ankle injury en-route to scoring a try against Uganda and was stretchered off the pitch while Injera felt his hamstring in the second pool match against South Africa.
-The Star| William Njuguna