Slow start, but much promis...

Slow start, but much promise as 2024 Africa Men’s Sevens kicks off

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There is no doubt the promising but at times hesitant play by some sides will improve now that the first matches in the Mauritius Africa Men’s Sevens tournament are behind them.

For many, if not most, of the competitors it was a first outing after a lengthy absence at this level.

In the first session of the competition, the best team performance probably came from Kenya, who overran the home side Mauritius to showcase their quality as a country to be represented at the Olympic Games and also return to the HSBC 2024/25 SVNS series at the end of the year.

They beat an unsure, hesitant Mauritius side 40-0 with two tries each going to Kenyan’s Edmund Anya and Benson Salem.

 

  • South Africa showed their lack of match practice and even practicing together before they arrived in Mauritius, in a performance marked by some excellent play but offset by some hesitancy and poor options.

They nevertheless were too good for Zambia, winning 31-7. But Zambia showed glimpses of potential that opponents should not ignore in their upcoming matches.

  • Zimbabwe, who completely outplayed Algeria 52-0, also put down a marker and it would pay South Africa not to underestimate them in the second round.
  • A lively Burkina Faso were good value for their 24-10 win over Tunisia
  • In what was the closest match of the day, Uganda and Ivory Coast matched up well with the honors going to Uganda (17-10) who had to work hard for the win, with Philip Wokorach outstanding.

Uganda came from behind after the break after a somewhat disjointed first half, when they were too loose and made too many handling errors. Issa Masono, captain of Ivory Coast, scored two of his team’s tries.

  • Madagascar’s play varied between hot and cold, but they were good value for their 34-14 win over Nigeria.

The teams to watch for in the important second round that could see some sides virtually confirm their qualification for Saturday’s quarter-finals are Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Madagascar who were the best in the first round. These teams have a strong chance of advancing to the finals on Sunday.

All matches are available for streaming on the Rugby Pass TV, SuperSport Linear, MBC HD, Rugby Africa Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/RugbyAfrique) and YouTube Page (https://www.youtube.com/c/RugbyAfrique).

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