Kenya Lionesses head coach Simon Odongo has challenged his side to learn from their painful 19-14 semi-final defeat to Uganda as they begin rebuilding after missing out on the Africa Women's Sevens title and qualification for the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament in Dubai.
The hosts surrendered their hopes of reaching the final at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi on Sunday, November 8, after Uganda's Peace Lekuru scored the decisive try with the final play of a closely contested encounter.
The Lionesses had staged an impressive comeback after falling 12-0 behind in the opening stages, with Freshia Oduor crossing for Kenya before Sinaida Mokaya added the conversion to reduce the deficit to 12-7 at half-time.
Kenya carried their momentum into the second half, with Mokaya setting up Janet Okello for another try before converting to give the hosts a 14-12 advantage.
However, Uganda responded in the closing moments, with Lekuru completing her brace to snatch a 19-14 victory and send the Lady Cranes into the final.
Reflecting on the narrow defeat, Odongo acknowledged the disappointment but said the team needed to improve its ability to handle decisive moments in closely contested matches.
"It was a tough loss, especially with Uganda scoring the winner with the last play of the game. It hurt but those are the margins of sevens rugby. They are very small and we have to be better equipped next time around," he said.
The Lionesses subsequently recovered to beat Zimbabwe 27-7 in the third-place play-off, securing the bronze medal and ending their home campaign with a victory.
Sheila Chajira, Nelly Chikombe and Mokaya scored in the first half to put Kenya in control before Zimbabwe responded through Chiwoniso Mabika.
Catherine Elizabeth and Stellah Wafula added second-half tries to complete the victory and ensure Kenya finished third in the 11-team competition.
Despite the recovery, the result was not enough to secure the continent's qualification ticket to the HSBC SVNS 3 tournament in Dubai, with Uganda claiming the sole place after beating Tunisia 33-0 in the final.
The defeat marked a setback for Kenya, who had entered the championship seeking to reclaim the continental crown and return to the international sevens pathway.
Odongo will now have to address the shortcomings exposed against Uganda while building on the progress made during the tournament, particularly the team's ability to recover from difficult positions.
The Lionesses had started their campaign strongly, topping Pool B with victories over Ghana and Tunisia before thrashing Mauritius 52-0 in the quarter-finals.
Their third-place finish leaves Kenya with work to do as they look to close the gap on their continental rivals and build a stronger side for their next qualification campaign.
