Dubai — Kenya was 24 seconds from beating New Zealand before South African referee Jason Jaftha awarded a suspicious penalty which saw Ben Souness score and save the former champions the blushes in the quarter-final of the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens.

Before the penalty was awarded, the Kenya Airways-sponsored side dug deep in their reserves coming from 0-12 down at half time to turn the tables and lead 14-12. New Zealand eventually won 17-14.

Sherwin Stowers outpaced Sidney Ashioya to the line for New Zealand's first try in the first minute. It was not until in the fifth minute that Zar Lawrence slipped through and Tomasi Cama converted for a 12-0 lead at half time.

The tide changed in the second half when Kenya tightened the screws matching the former IRB Sevens World Series champions in this physical match.

It was not long before cracks began to appear. Collins Injera completed a move his elder brother Humphrey Kayange to score at the corner flag. Lavin Asego was sure.

Kenya did not relent and it was Kayange who added the second try that leveled the game 12-all. Asego added the two points from a difficult angle to put Kenya in the lead 14-12.

This is when New Zealand attacked out of sheer fright rather than grit and were awarded a penalty infront of the posts which they could have easily converted for the win. But Cama went wide on his right for Souness to score.

Travelling fans

Coach Benjamin Ayimba admitted that pressure from their travelling fans made imperative for them to deliver.

"They deserve the best and are the reason why we continue to do well," the coach added. As an after-thought, Ayimba said that Kenya was not a small team anymore which is why New Zealand were able to win. "The coaches of the other teams study our matches more than ever," he said.

In the other quarter-finals, Samoa edged out Australia 28-27 in a thriller while England got the better of Argentina 17-12. In the Plate semi-finals, Japanese referee Taizo Hirabayashi yellow-carded Kenyan forward Victor Oduor in the match against South Africa.

And from the resultant penalty, the IRB Sevens champions redeemed themselves with a try that saw them knock out Kenya 19-14. It may not sound like a conspiracy theory that the referees desperately wanted a result that favoured any team.

Teams playing in the IRB tournaments have a silent code on how they should channel their grievances. An unwritten rule is not to talk about the referees. But, Ayimba and South Africa's Paul Treu were on the same page of the book after the narrow losses.

Their remarks may not be music to the ears of the IRB but at the expense of being 'disciplined' Ayimba and Treu directly pointed an accusing finger at the centre referees.

Left sour taste

Said Ayimba: "There were glaring mistakes by the officials which were fortunately captured by the cameras. I know the rules but this is the time to talk. The so called big teams always get the 50/50 calls! We have worked so hard as a team and we urge the referees to complement this by applying the rules as required," the coach said.

Treu added that several teams were putting players under contracts and the level of officiating needed to be much more professional. "The IRB must ensure that we have top referees because it is difficult when we are trying so hard to work towards a result," he said.

The tough stance by the two coaches came after South Africa scrapped through to the Plate final of the Emirates Airline Dubai Sevens by beating Kenya 19-14.

Hirabayashi, an experienced referee by any standard, sent Oduor to the sin bin with only one minute left that left a sour taste in the mouths of the Kenyan players, team management and fans.

It was this turn of events that let off South Africa off the hook because Ryno Benjamin went over for his second one minute into injury time. Upto this moment, Kenya were on course for the Plate final.

An enterprising start saw Benjamin score in the third minute. Kayange, Kenya's resolute captain pounced on a lose ball and raced under the posts just before the break. Lavin Asego converted as Kenya led 7-5 at half time.

The lead changed hands for the second time when Mzwandile Stick slipped past the Kenyan defence to score under the posts in the second minute of this half.

He converted for a narrow 12-7 lead. Collins Injera who has been down with flu since arrival in Dubai sprinted to the line and Asego converted to restore Kenya's lead.