Shujaa are expected to make three changes to the team ahead of the second leg of the Challenger Sevens Series slated for Montevideo, Uruguay, in March.
Assistant coach Louis Kisia said with a squad of 24 players to choose from, they will rotate the squad for the series, which will include stops in Munich, Germany, and the Grand Finale in Madrid, Spain, in early June.
“We want to give members of the squad a chance to prove their worth. We have a squad of 24 players and there must be a bit of rotation to avoid burn out and remain fit for the upcoming tournaments,” said Kisia.
The Strathmore Leos’ coach said there are facets of play they want to improve on despite their 12-5 win over Chile in the final in Dubai last weekend.
“We are striving for improvement in every match and tournament. We have identified the setpiece, scrum, lineout and kick-off as some of the areas to look at once we resume training next week,” observed Kisia
He added that there are no plans to play any other tournament before the Uruguay leg to avoid burn out and keep the players fresh.
“When the boys are not training, they will play with their Kenya Cup sides, which I believe will be vital in terms of fitness heading into the tournament in Uruguay,” said Kisia.
Shujaa top the standings with 20 points, four ahead of Chile with Uruguay third with 14 points. Germany are fourth with 14 points too.
The tactician said he expects more twists and turns as the Uruguay event draws closer.
“Sevens is unforgiving. There is a lot of rugby to be played between now and May and we must treat all our opponents seriously to avoid getting upset,” added Kisia
Kisia announced that Morans will play at the All Africa Games in March in Ghana.
“Morans will play in the African Games. We are looking at them getting exposure and in the long term, playing in various satellite Sevens tournaments and acting as a feeder programme for the main team in the years to come,” added Kisia.
After the Challenger Sevens in Germany in May, the top four teams will play the bottom four teams from the 2023-2024 World Sevens Series in a promotion /relegation playoff in Madrid with the top four teams gaining promotion to the 2024 -2025 series.
