The much-anticipated HSBC SVNS 2 tournament will be kicking off on Saturday at the Nyayo Stadium with six men’s teams taking on each other in the round robin format. All the six teams on another day would be facing each other in the HSBC SVNS top tier competition. Here is a breakdown of what to look forward to over the weekend:
Hosts Kenya come into the competition hoping for a strong performance that can give a boost to their ambitions to bounce back to the HSBC SVNS Series. They will be counting on the vibrant Kenya corner to give them a boost. Co-captains George Ooro and Samwel Asati as well as the likes of Vincent Onyala and Patrick Odongo will be key players to look out for this weekend.
Former USA Eagles player now Coach will be leading the USA team this weekend. Test and the Eagles recently played at the Coral Coast 7s tournament in Fiji where, according to him, they got real clarity from testing themselves out against other internationals. Test’s former teammate Steve Tomasin will lead the team in Nairobi this weekend.
Another side familiar with the hustling and bustling of Nairobi is Germany 7s team. Germany 7s have played at the popular Safari 7s several times, their most recent appearance coming in 2023. The Germans were also the first team to arrive in Nairobi and will hope that this gives them an edge. The Germans will look to the leadership of Felix Hufnagel who featured at the 2024 SVNS Grand Finals in Madrid.
Uruguay 7s will be hosting the second leg of the HSBC SVNS 2 in Montevideo from 21-22 March and will hope they can pick maximum points in Nairobi before they head back home where local support will be crucial.
Traditionally, Uruguay have always been a strong physical team and will hope this can translate into results this weekend. The Los Teros will turn to the likes of speedster Tomas Etcheverry to light up Nyayo Stadium.
Canada won the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament in Dubai last month and come to this tournament with form on their side. At the tournament, Canada met Belgium twice, suffering defeat in the first meeting before bouncing back to beat the Belgians 28-10 in the final.
The two will meet again in Nairobi having both been promoted for reaching the final of the HSBC SVNS 3. Canada will be hoping they can rediscover the magic of that final seeing as this is a round robin tournament with no second chances. The likes of Lockie Kratz, Kal Sager and Johnny Franklin will be key if they are to replicate that performance.
Belgium may have lost that HSBC SVNS 3 final, but they come to Nairobi with renewed energy knowing that they have the ability to get a good result. They will be facing fellow Europeans in the form of Germany in what seems to be their best phase of growth. Returning to the squad from the squad that played in Dubai will be Hugues Bastin, Jean-Prieur de Plessis, Julien Berger, Samuel Couplan and Tornike Megrelidze.
Given their dark horse tag, Belgium will be looking to cause several upsets this weekend.
Four of these six teams featured in the 2024 SVNS Grand Finals in Madrid. The four are Kenya, Canada, Germany and Uruguay. This just goes to show the pedigree of competition to expect this weekend.
All teams are ready and prepared to light up Nairobi this weekend. With a mixture of proven pedigree, exciting growth and the ever-vibrant Kenya Corner, this weekend has everything we love about the 7s game.
Article by: James Njenga
