The Kenyan national sevens squad sent its flag-waving, chant-shouting, drum-thumping fans into ecstasy on Saturday, as they took the title at the inaugural Abbotsford Rugby Sevens tournament.

The Kenyan side, ranked No. 6 in the world by the International Rugby Board, had to withstand a tough test from Team Canada. The Canucks upset the favoured Kenyans 21-19 in the round robin, but Kenya came through with a 12-10 victory in the final.

“Credit to them,” said Bryn Keys, an Abbotsford product who suited up for the Canadian side. “They had a great tournament. We had a good group of young guys who performed pretty well alongside the veterans today, and to compete with that Kenyan team is pretty impressive.”

The Abbotsford Sevens event drew close to 2,000 fans to Rotary Stadium, and included in that number was a large contingent of Kenyan supporters. Many were expatriates currently living in North America who made the trip from as far away as Edmonton, Calgary, Portland and Seattle.

“I love rugby, and I’m so excited to watch a team from my own country,” said Gladys Kivia, who made the trip from Calgary. “And it’s special to see them win.”

One of the happiest fans in the stands was James Atebe, the Kenyan-born mayor of Mission. Atebe had a friendly wager with George Peary, his Abbotsford counterpart, and thanks to Kenya’s win over Canada in the final, Peary must wear an “I Love Mission” t-shirt at Abbotsford City Hall for a day.

“I’ll specially deliver it to Abbotsford City Hall one of these days,” Atebe said with a chuckle.

Kenya’s Collins Injera earned MVP honours in the elite division, while Dan Harlow of the Canada alumni squad was the MVP in the domestic division. Harlow’s team knocked off Lionheart 19-12 in the domestic final.

The hometown Abbotsford Rugby Football Club had entered a team in the domestic division, but they were moved up to the elite division just days before the tournament to fill in for another team that had dropped out. The Abby side took its lumps against the likes of Kenya, Canada and the West Indies, and finished with an 0-3 record.

Next year, organizers plan to expand the event to a two-day tourney with even more international teams.