Kenya Lionesses chances of making it back to the prestigious HSBC Ladies Sevens Series just got even better following their brilliant first round in Cape Town at the weekend after their 17-12 finals win against Argentina in the 2025 HSBC Challenger Series.
This was historic for Dennis Mwanja’side who claimed their first ever international title on the road. For the team, it was all about grit, character and skill as they showcased their best rugby in years.
Theirs was a solid game plan per match that worked especially in the do or die semis against African rivals and hosts South Africa where they came through 19-15 in a real battle of sweat and wit.
Earlier, the Lionesses team kicked off their campaign with a commanding 20-5 victory over Samoa, before delivering a resounding 29-7 triumph against Poland. The execution and strategy of the two key games against South Africa and ultimately Argentina was the catalyst for a good show ahead of the next leg of the Challenger Series
Mwanja hailed his team’s determination and mental fortitude throughout the tournament, stating:
“The pool games were not as easy as they seemed, but the ladies proved resilient, winning all their matches. The semi-final against South Africa was a mental game, and after beating them on home soil, we knew nothing could stop us. The final was physically manageable, but the girls struggled mentally due to complacency. Nevertheless, we pushed through to secure the victory. We are now focused on another podium finish this weekend. This is a great milestone for the team, as we have never achieved such a feat before. This might be the best Lionesses team ever.”
Like Kenya’s men’s side, who achieved promotion to HSBC SVNS 2025 via the Challenger, Kenya’s women side also took this tournament as a serious turnaround for their fortunes.
The Challenger series starts with back-to-back events in Cape Town, with the top-ranked eight men’s and women’s teams progressing to the third and final tournament at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow on 11-12 April.
The four men’s and women’s teams with the most cumulative points gained across the three Challenger rounds will then qualify for the HSBC SVNS Play Off in Los Angeles on 3 – 4 May, where they will face the bottom four ranked teams from HSBC SVNS 2025 in a high-stakes promotion and relegation tournament with four coveted places in future SVNS at stake.
