Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WORLD Rugby will send more high-performance specialists to Zimbabwe as the Sables prepare to return to the Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.
The global governing body’s High Performance Director, Nicky Ponsford, spent time with Zimbabwe’s high-performance team a few weeks ago, and more personnel are expected to follow.
World Rugby Chief of International Federations David Carrigy revealed the plans as the delegation led by chair Brett Robinson concludes its five-day visit today.
“We had Nicky Ponsford here a few weeks ago, our High Performance Director, who spent time with the High Performance team here.
“There are some more High-Performance people who will come here to complement your excellent national team technical staff and union staff, so that we know if there are needs or areas of support that we can offer,” Carrigy said.
The Sables will return to the World Cup for the first time since 1991 after securing Africa’s ticket at last year’s Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala.
Their preparations continue in November with three World Rugby Nations Cup matches against Samoa, Uruguay and Chile.
“You have got three very significant matches coming up in November, against Samoa, Uruguay, and Chile, and there’s great opportunity for Zimbabwe to reap the benefits,” Carrigy said.
“We came to support the campaign towards Rugby World Cup 2027, and to ensure that we were fully aware of the current situation here with rugby in Zimbabwe.
“We came to receive a full briefing on the state of rugby and meet all the stakeholders, including government, while also promoting the fact that Zimbabwe are now playing at the highest level of the sport.”
The delegation also included Rugby Africa president Herbert Mensah, who sits on the World Rugby executive board. It met Government officials, the Zimbabwe Rugby Union and other stakeholders to assess the Sables’ World Cup preparations and the state of the game in the country.
The Zimbabwe visit is part of World Rugby’s wider work to strengthen the game in Africa. Carrigy, who attended last year’s Rugby Africa Cup, said the standard of competition in Kampala showed the progress being made on the continent.
“I was very impressed by the quality of the game and the quality of the matches that I saw at the Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala last year,” he said.
Robinson said revenue from Rugby World Cups underpins World Rugby’s development programmes and the support given to member unions such as Zimbabwe.
“That is the money that ultimately supports the Sables’ high-performance grants, the same money that goes back into our safety and welfare programmes for players.
