NAIROBI, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's team is under pressure to win the African Women's Sevens Championship after the withdrawal of defending champions South Africa.

Having failed to secure core status in the World Series, Kenya must win the continental competition, which has attracted 10 teams and will be hosted in Gaborone, Botswana on May 26-27.

Team manager Camiline Awuor says the players must develop a thicker skin to weather the pressure now that everyone sees them as the favorites in the tournament.

"The African Women's Sevens Championship is ours to lose. For the last decade, Kenya and South Africa have jostled for the bragging rights as the best in Africa. We lost to South Africa last year and lost the bid to go to the World Cup in San Francisco, USA," Awuor said in Nairobi on Friday.

With South Africa opting to focus on the World Cup in July, Kenya faces lower ranked sides in the tournament. The Lionesses, the runners up in last year's tournament in Tunisia, headline Pool A which also features Madagascar and Senegal. Tunisia are in Pool B with Uganda and Zimbabwe while Pool C features Morocco, hosts Botswana, Mauritius and Zambia.

South Africa have beaten Kenya in four of their encounters and Kenya's only wins over their continental rivals was this year at the Hong Kong Sevens and at the Commonwealth Games.

"South Africa is not our major concern. Their absence does not affect our ultimate goal which is winning the tournament," said Awuor. "We are ready for the tournament and we have no injury worries. Our players are all fit and ready for the task ahead. We have been able to work on the few problems we saw in Hong Kong and [at the] Commonwealth Games," she added.