Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Sables touched down at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport yesterday after a tough World Rugby Nations Cup campaign, but coach Piet Benade says the North American tour was far from a failure.
Zimbabwe finished bottom of their pool with two bonus points from losses to Tonga 36-26, USA 31-15, and Canada 23-19.
For Benade, the positives outweighed the results.
“It’s been a long couple of weeks, a tour full of learnings and, hopefully, a lot of growth,” Benade said.
“The big positive is that we were at a good level in every single match.
“Against Tonga, we were still leading 11 minutes to go. “Against the US, we were leading them up until the final moments. We ended very strongly against Canada.
“We just needed to string together a solid 80-minute performance, and we should be able to start winning games.”
Zimbabwe were in all three fixtures, and Benade believes that the expectation of results itself shows progress.
“We got a little frustrated that we couldn’t come away with the result, but the fact that we were hoping for results and expecting results in every single match, I think, just shows how far we have come.”
The tour was also about testing depth.
“We travelled with 30 boys, and 28 different boys started matches.
“So, I think it shows that we prioritised growth and the building of depth while still trying to get results,” Benade said.
He singled out Bryan Chiang, Liam Larkin, Gombe, and Bruce Houston at fly-half after Ian Prior picked up a shoulder knock before the US game.
Captain Hilton Mudariki also returned home early with a calf injury.
Tapiwa Mafura sprained an ankle and should be out for a couple of weeks.
Benade says relying on the old guard like Mudariki and Prior won’t work forever with 2029 World Cup qualifiers in sight.
“They are getting older, and we have the 2029 qualifiers to think about. It’s quite a long way for those older guys, so it is certainly good for the people just behind them to be getting minutes.”
The Sables are back in action in November, playing home fixtures in England against Uruguay, Spain, and Samoa.
Plans include an October camp in Harare with matches to give local fans a chance to see a full-strength side.
“I’m a fan of playing at home and, obviously, our people haven’t seen us at full-strength playing at home. I think that will benefit the local boys to be training with our full-strength Sables team’’.
Benade and his charges have this week off before gym training resumes next week.
He is also expected to sit down with the Zimbabwe Rugby Union Interim Management Committee to submit his report and map the way forward.
“I’m certainly happy to be back home and ready for the work ahead.
“I think, when you enter these tournaments, you’re not really sure what is going to happen.
“You can prepare and hope as much as you want that things go okay.
“With the Nations Cup, we now got the chance to play competitive rugby but still have the chance to play around with our formations, combinations, and personnel. “So those are good signs for Zimbabwe rugby’’.
