Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
BURKINA Faso are expected in Harare today ahead of their rugby Africa Cup Pool D matches against Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) confirmed yesterday that the Burkinabé Stallions had left Ouagadougou for Harare.
The two sides will collide in the first of two clashes on Sunday before wrapping up the series on Thursday next week.
Burkina Faso earned their slot in the Rugby Africa Cup 2021 competition after emerging as winners of the Rugby Africa Cup Repechage tournament.
Rugby Africa was forced to change the venue for pool D when Tunisia withdrew as host nation due to rising Covid-19 cases in the north African country.
Tunisia were also stopped from travelling to Zimbabwe by their government, leaving Pool D with just two countries.
The matches between the Sables and the Stallions will be played under strict Covid-19 guidelines with no spectators allowed in the venue.
The Sables will get to enjoy home advantage, albeit without the backing of fans, in a crucial tournament that also serves as a 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifier.
Meanwhile, the Women Sables were humiliated 0-41, in the opening round of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup Test match by Uganda at the Kyadondo Rugby Club in Kampala.
The two sides will clash in the second encounter at the same venue on Sunday to determine who progresses to the next round of the competition.
While other incoming and outgoing tours have been suspended with immediate effect, ZRU vice-president Martin Shone said they had been granted a special waiver to host the Burkinabé two-game tour. — @innocentskizoe
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