Herbert Mensah, President of Rugby Africa, the continental governing body of rugby across Africa, has praised Kenya for delivering a world-class HSBC SVNS 2 tournament in Nairobi, describing the event as a statement of Africa’s readiness to host global rugby competitions.
- •Held at Nyayo National Stadium, the opening leg of HSBC SVNS 2 attracted over 15,000 fans across the weekend.
- •The Nairobi leg featured 12 men’s and women’s international teams competing for promotion back to the revamped HSBC SVNS series.
- •Kenya’s national men’s team, Shujaa, finished third to secure a bronze medal and 16 points in the standings, behind Germany (20 points) and the USA (18 points).
“Impressively, it’s sold out,” Mensah said after the tournament. “What do you expect? HSBC on African soil with the incredible Kenyans. This is what happens when you combine world-class rugby with passionate supporters.”
“Kenya has proven that it can host the world. The organization, the energy in the stadium, the government support, this is a blueprint for Africa. When Africa hosts, Africa delivers,” he added.
The leading four men’s and women’s sides after the three HSBC SVNS 2 competitions will head into the elite tri-tournament World Championship series in May and June. Behind Argentina, South Africa, Spain and China make up the top four in the women’s competition after the opening round in Nairobi; while USA, Kenya and Uruguay are chasing Germany in the race for the top four in the men’s rankings.
As the HSBC SVNS 2 series now moves to Montevideo and São Paulo, Kenya’s successful hosting of the opening leg sets a strong benchmark for future global rugby events on the continent.
