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opening round. Zimbabwe were yesterday drawn in Pool C where they are expected to take on giants Samoa, little known Philippines and familiar foes and fellow Africans Kenya but Nyamutsamba feels they need to take all games seriously.
The Jacques Leitao-captained Cheetahs are ranked third in the group behind top seeds and World Series core members Samoa and Kenya while the Philippines come in as the lowest ranked side in this pool.
The last time Zimbabwe took part at the Sevens World Cup was in 2009 in Dubai where they came out as Bowl winner but Nyamutsamba feels the Cheetahs should better that record at this year’s edition.
“We have so much time to prepare and the fact that we have a semi-professional set up at the moment means we have more time to train and we can only get better going forward.
“It’s still a tough pool and we have to play to the best of our abilities, give our all and make sure we are better than what we did at the last World Cup,” said Nyamutsamba.
The former Sables and Cheetahs gasman yesterday indicated that his side is up for the fight and this will also be his first time leading Zimbabwe at the world stage since taking over from England-based Liam Middleton.
“We have all been waiting for this draw and in all fairness all the teams that are going to take part at the World Cup have done well to be at this stage so we will not take any of the teams lightly or with too much respect.
“Kenya have given us some good competition in recent years and we have dominated them in the past two years, the Philippines are what I would like to call the unknown entity and it’s very difficult to play such teams.
“Samoa are the top ranked side in our group but that does not mean that we will have to bow down to them and go into the game with our tails tucked between our legs because we are aiming to be successful.
“These days the difference or gap between the so called big teams and small teams has narrowed down but I am not sure if that is the best pool we could have been drawn in,” said Nyamutsamba.
The Philippines are coached by Al Caravelli, who coached the USA in the last World Cup in Dubai, and will be looking to make an impact in their first World Cup.
“We never expected an easy draw because this is a high-level tournament and we have to be up for it (the challenge) and with the kind of preparations we have undertaken this time around, combined with the trials, I am sure we will have a strong squad for the games.
“We have to start with the Spar (Zimbabwe international) tournament and the Hong Kong Sevens which will be key in our preparations for the World Cup and my job has been made easier by the players since qualifying for World Cup.
Zimbabwe still have a number of tournaments between now and the World Cup as they will take part in the Spar Sevens at home in two weeks time, the Hong Kong international, and the back-to-back tournaments in the form of Edinburgh and London on the World Series.
The Hong Kong Sevens will be used as the first leg qualifiers in their quest to become a core World Series member before the final round in Europe at the London Sevens.
Sevens World Cup Draw
Pool A: Australia, France, Spain, Tunisia
Pool B: South Africa, Scotland, Russia, Japan
Pool C: Samoa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Philippines
Pool D: New Zealand, USA, Canada, Georgia
Pool E: Fiji, Wales, Tonga, Uruguay
Pool F: England, Argentina, Portugal, Hong Kong.
Online Reporter