By BS MULAVI

The Kenya National Sevens team got off to a poor start in the ongoing Dubai Sevens, losing to reigning circuit champions Samoa and World Cup champions Wales 17-12 to drop to the Bowl tier of the tournament.

Kenya’s only win came courtesy of a spirited 31-19 comeback over hosts Arabian Gulf, who gave Ayimba and his charges quite a fright in the first half of the match.

Kenya looked unsettled in this first match of the day, which they were forced to play with Zimbabwean kit after an embarrassing circus by the Kenya Rugby Union led to their original kit arriving late in Dubai.

Kenya Rugby Union general manager Auka Gecheo declined to comment but released a statement claiming the kit had been picked by the wrong passenger at the airport, but the Union was doing everything possible to recover it.

Fans joked that Kenyan players were not sure whom to pass the ball to in this game judging from the fact that their teammates looked like Zimbabweans, but after getting acquitted to the new kit they got their act together and clawed back from the 14-0 deficit to score five tries through Leon Adongo’s brace and Humphrey Kayange’s hatrick to win 31-19.

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While Kenya were struggling to get their groove on against the hosts, fellow Pool A opponent Wales were busy spoiling the party by restricting Samoa to a 21-21 draw, which meant Kenya would have to work extra hard and win two of their three games to get to the Main Cup quarter-finals.

Having this in mind, Kenya came out for their second game of the day with more aggression hoping to slow down Wales’s momentum, but despite drawing first blood through an Edwin Shimenga corner flag try, which was superbly converted by Gibson Weru, Kenya conceded two tries through Wales’ Ifan Evans who capitalised on a counterattack deep from their half to race 70 yards for his first try and then danced through the Kenyan defence line to finish his brace in the second half.

The sun seemed to be shining Adongo’s way with the Kenya Harlequin winger scoring his third try of the tournament in the second half of the game, but the Welsh proved to be too stubborn by replying almost immediately through a powerful Aaron Shingler run.