NAIROBI, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Kenya sevens rugby head coach Paul Murunga expressed the hope on Thursday that his team will continue their upward trajectory as they head to Australia for the Sydney sevens tournament, the fourth stop in the 10-leg World Series.
With relegation struggles behind them, Kenya seeks to knit together a series of wins to boost their chance of joining the top six sides and have a shot at winning an automatic Olympic qualification ticket to Tokyo games.
"We have a very youthful side, who are learning every day and it has been a good build up for the team. We started poorly with stage fright and inexperience and we did not win a single match in Dubai. We held on and claimed two victories in Cape Town and three in Sydney where we got seven points," said Murunga.
"It gets better as we grow confidence and focus on getting better results," he added. Now the coach targets the main cup competition in Sydney as Kenya take on Canada on Saturday before meeting the United States and France in their Pool B clash.
"Two wins will enable us sail through to the Main Cup quarterfinals. That is our target because we need to improve on our point tally," said Murunga.
Kenya has amassed 11 points in their three leg assignment, One in Dubai, three in Cape Town and seven in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Murunga said victory against their higher ranked opponents in Sydney will be a big boost to them.
"Our defense has improved and we have gained in confidence. I am glad the boys are picking up the skills and bolstering their backline. We also have strong attacks from our captain Jacob Ojee. His leadership is great," said Murunga.
Fiji will be seeking a third title quest in a row in this year's series having won in Cape Town and Hamilton.
U.S. is placed second in the series though they tie with Fiji on 57 points each. Canada and France are placed 11th and 12th with 20 points and 14 points respectively followed by Kenya in 13th with 11 points.
