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ZIMBABWE rugby sevens team skipper Kudzai Mashawi says he will now focus on imparting the knowledge he has gained during his career to the next generation of players after calling time on his retirement from international rugby yesterday.
In addition to captaining the Cheetahs during their transition phase, Mashawi has been involved in the development of the game as a coach at Tag Rugby Trust Zimbabwe.
Tag Rugby Trust is a rugby development programme whose aim is not just to teach children rugby but to also make them responsible people who are able to bring a positive impact to their community.
It runs under the motto “Building futures through rugby”
“I might have retired from international rugby but I will remain involved in the game. I work for Tag Rugby Trust Zimbabwe which does community development-based work. I love coaching kids so definitely looking to dig into that while also focusing more on my family,” Mashawi told ZimSportLive in an exclusive interview yesterday.
Mashawi recently led the national rugby sevens side, which is affectionately known as the Cheetahs, during their participation at the Rugby World Cup Sevens which was held in Cape Town, South Africa last month.
The 29-year-old Harare Sports Club utility player made his Sevens debut in 2018 after switching from the fifteens format, where he also played for the Sables.
After switching to the shorter format of the game, he went on to enjoy immediate success.
He took over as the team’s captain in October last year, following in the footsteps of some of the country’s finest short-format players such as the legendary Jacques Leitao, Danny Hondo, and Stephan Hunduza.
The major highlight of his stint as skipper came early this year when he led the Cheetahs to qualification for the Rugby World Cup Sevens after the team finished in second position at the 2022 Africa Men’s Sevens Cup in Uganda.
Mashawi encouraged his teammates in the Cheetahs squad to continue working hard for the team which has been working towards re-establishing themselves as a force on the international stage.
“I would say coming second in Africa Cup and qualifying for the World Cup and being there at the global tournament were the main highlights of my stint as captain. This has laid a solid foundation for the side and I would like to encourage the players to keep working hard and grow in character and the game. Above all, I want to encourage them to be the men they are supposed to be,” he said.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwean clubs dominated the Zambia Independence Rugby 7s Challenge with FS Raiders successfully defending their title in the women’s category while Harare Sports Club emerged victorious in the men’s category in the competition which was played in Lusaka on Saturday.
Harare Sports Club, who are under the mentorship of former Cheetahs player Tafadzwa Mhende, capped off a successful tour by defeating Zambian side Buffaloes 29-10 in the final.
Sportivo were impressive during the one-day competition as they followed up on their good run on the domestic circuit by finishing unbeaten in the Zambian tourney.
They finished top of Group C following victories over Zambian sides Diggers (33-5) and Beavers (17-0) before dismissing Zambian side Leopards 17-5 in the Cup quarter-finals.
In the semi-finals, Harare Sports Club secured an identical 17-5 victory over Red Arrows to book a date in the final against Buffaloes, who had earlier caused an upset by knocking out one of the pre-tournament favourites Spartans in the semi-finals.
Spartans are a Gaborone-based rugby sevens side whose roster is made up mostly of Zimbabwean players based in Botswana.
They were among the favourites for the title but came up short against Buffaloes in extra time after the two teams settled for a 12-12 draw in regulation time.
After Buffaloes’ exploits in the semis, Harare Sports Club needed to put on a solid performance to avoid any slip-ups in the final and to their credit, they produced another dominant display to be crowned the champions.
In the women’s competition, FS Raiders were yet again in a class of their own as they successfully defended their title following a clinical 31-0 victory over Old Georgians in an all-Zimbabwe final. Only five out of eight invited teams managed to turn up for the Zambian Independence Rugby 7s Challenge which resulted in the women’s competition being played in a round-robin format.
The Lissy Wasarirevu-coached Raiders side got their campaign off to a solid start defeating one of the pre-tournament favourites Red Arrows from Zambia 17-5 in their opening game of the tournament.
After the opening win, Raiders won their next three matches without conceding a try as they outclassed Old Georgians (21-0) as well as Harare Sports Club and Renegades with identical 29-0 score-lines. — ZimSportLive
Online Reporter