adminThe seawson was largely a purple patch for the Sables despite a number of hindrances and blunders that were witnessed here and there.
There was a better performance by the flagship team who scooped everything that came their way and won every Test game they played both at home and away, breaking a record they had last achieved 23 years ago.
The Sables were not the only dominating force in Africa rugby but their junior side, the Young Sables, also wrote their own piece of history after qualifying for the Junior World Rugby Trophy for the third consecutive time after lifting the Junior Africa Cup for the third time in as many years.
A ray of hope came through when the British Barbarians Under-18 side toured Zimbabwe in April, becoming the first side from England to tour Zimbabwe in 13 years, playing four games against local sides but it was only the Harare Lions Under-18 who managed to beat them.
Having been the most consistent and most powerful rugby side in Zimbabwe, the Cheetahs had mixed fortunes, first getting an invite to play three more tournaments on the Sevens World Series before taking a plunge in their performance on the field of play.
Zimbabwe women’s side – the Pangolins – also had mixed fortunes making it to the second round of the World Cup qualifiers after finishing an unexciting fourth in Botswana and also having finished second in the Zambia Castle Sevens.
Over the years, Zimbabwe rugby has been taking a steady slow rise – efforts that did not get the support they needed from the Zimbabwe Rugby Union.
Administration remained the biggest area of concern in the sport.
The Union would need to do more if the efforts of the players on the pitch are to go far at all levels of the game from the grassroots to the Sables.
Funding (or lack of it) has been the biggest problem and the next executive would need to make sure the Union does not depend on donors but generate its own funds.
The Sables
The Zimbabwe men’s senior rugby side was on the rampage and for their efforts, they were named the Team of the Year at the Annual National Sports Awards with coach Brandon Dawson getting the Coach of the Year award at the same event.
Dawson was missing in the early stages of the campaign that saw assistant coach Cyprian “Supa” Mandenge travelling to Uganda to win the Africa Cup 1B division and gain promotion into the World Cup qualifying 1A division.
At the beginning of the year, the Sables were ranked 49th in the world but were the highest gainers on the rankings this year to settle at 33 on the final rankings – their highest ranking ever.
To achieve this, they first the beat hosts Uganda 25-15 before thumping Madagascar 49-0 to lift the continental cup after which they took their campaign to the Victoria Cup where again they ascertained that they are slowly regaining their place on the top table of African rugby.
Defending champions Kenya came to Zimbabwe and were left wondering what had hit them, losing 42-24 to a fairly youthful Sables side then Uganda also came to Zimbabwe and the hosts prevailed 49-21.
The Sables completed a double over the East Africans with a 49-21 win and by the time the Sables travelled to Kenya they had already bagged the Victoria Cup.
This was the first time since 1987 that the Sables won four straight games and it was also the first time that they won five consecutive games with winger Gardner Nechironga emerging the top points scorer in the Africa Cup.
The good thing about the Sables side that took to the pitch this year was a high number of junior players who not only shined during the tournaments but players like debutante Charles Jiji literary became the new yardstick moving forward.
Rookies, who included England based Jiji, who also won the Backliner of the Year for the Sables in his first season, lock Schalk Ferreira, flyhalf Thomas Nelson, winger Kudakwashe Chiwanza, hooker Tatenda Karuru and winger Lloyd Machanjaire gave a new dimension and meaning to Zimbabwe rugby with their eye-catching performances.
Of course they would not have made it without the support of the senior Sables like fullback and Player of the Year Daniel Robertson, prop and Forward of the Year Denford Mutamangira, Brian Makamure, former captain Cleopas Makotose and Daniel Hondo.
Cheetahs
Lifting two titles at the Zambia Castle Sevens tournament was the best the Cheetahs could manage and this was good enough for them to gain more tournaments on the IRB World Sevens Series where Edinburgh and London were added to their tally of tournaments.
In Zambia, the Cheetahs won both the Castle Sevens and the Africa Cup (Southern Zone) that was used in ranking and promoting teams for the IRB Sevens Series.
But when it came to taking part in the IRB tournaments, they had traditionally been playing, the Cheetahs were not a side one would fancy watching and it was with the last (South Africa) tournament that they won the Shield. And next year they will be travelling to Hong Kong, Edinburgh and London.
Junior Rugby
With Brighton Chivandire in charge, the Under-19 side took over from where the Sables had left with an emphatic performance that saw them lift the Junior Africa Cup for the third consecutive time and what made it sweeter this time was that it was on home soil.
Flanker Farai “Jigga” Jijita was definitely outstanding.
The eight-team tournament was clearly the best organised tournament that Zimbabwe has hosted in more than a decade, thanks to the organising committee that was led by Under-20 chairman Aaron Jani.
The performance by the Young Sables on the pitch equalled the hosting standards that were set by the Under-20 committee as the Under-19 side went unbeaten in the tournament, beating Namibia in the final – as in the previous two years as well.
And for their efforts, the history making junior side was hosted by President Robert Mugabe at State House.
This saw the side qualify for the JWRT for the third time in as many years but earlier this year in Georgia the Young Sables were a side they would never want to be again after finishing bottom in the eight-team tournament.
Women
The three most disappointing things about women’s rugby in 2011 were that they failed to host the annual women’s Sevens tournament that had in the past lured teams from the region as it was growing in popularity in the few years it had existed.
The second being that the Pangolins fell where it mattered the most as they were not able to maintain their momentum at the crucial stages of the tournaments they took part in.
Having beaten Zambia in the group stages – twice they fell to the same side. First it was in the Castle Sevens in Zambia then came the regional tournament in Botswana where they again fell to Zambia in the semis.
This probably could have been avoided but it was the appointment of a physiotherapist who is not qualified on the technical aspect of the game as head of technical by women’s chairperson Aisha Tsimba with the
blind backing of the Zimbabwe Rugby Union.
Online Reporter