Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema-Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOR a number of years, the Sevens team were the pride of Zimbabwean rugby, often featuring at the World Cup.
Somehow, that momentum has been gradually eroded since the Cheetahs’ last appearance at the Sevens global show-piece in 2022.
Starved of game-time and eager to redeem themselves, the Cheetahs are set to return to action later this month when they take part in the Rugby Africa Cup Sevens tournament slated for Mauritius.
This year’s edition is set to go down at the SPARC in Cascavelle, Mauritius and has been pencilled for June 20-21.
The Cheetahs were last in on action at last year’s event where they finished a credible third following a 21-19 win over the Kenya Moran in the bronze medal match.
They had earlier been eliminated at the semi-final stage by eventual winners South Africa via a 12-19 defeat.
Rugby Africa last week revealed the particulars of this year’s tournament with 12 teams expected to converge in Mauritius and slugged it for the continental title.
That dozen grouping of teams includes South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Zambia, Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, Tunisia, Madagascar, Burkina Faso and hosts Mauritius, and they have been divided into three pools of four teams each.
Pool A features reigning champions South Africa, who will face hosts Mauritius alongside Nigeria and Zambia.
In Pool B, Madagascar will battle 2024 champions Uganda, as well as Ghana and Tunisia.
Zimbabwe have been drawn in Pool C alongside the Kenya Morans, Burkina Faso and Morocco.
Unfortunately, the Cheetahs find themselves in all too-familiar territory in the lead-up to the tournament.
It has been roughly a year since the Cheetahs were last in action.
And now, they will also have to contend with going into battle with all-new leadership as former Cheetahs international, Fortune Chipendu, has been roped in as coach and replaces Ricky Chirengende.
Chirengende is alleged to have stepped down from his sevens duties to fully concentrate on the Sables, where he serves as assistant coach to Piet Benade.
Chipendu, however, remains optimistic and the former Cheetahs international is very much looking forward to the challenge that lies ahead.
“It’s something that I have been looking forward too, for quite a while, and the jury is still out on whether the appointment came at the right time or not,” said Chipendu.
“Either way, I’m quite excited and happy to have finally got the nod.
“I know its a huge task as we haven’t been training for quite a while now, I am pretty happy and excited on my side,” he said.
Chipendu has already met up with the team, holding a couple of training sessions, and now pretty much has a handle on where the team is and where they need to go in their preparations for the Africa Cup.
“We have had a couple of runs with the boys and didn’t have good numbers at first but that has since improved,” said Chipendu.
“We have had a couple new faces coming in and putting their hands up for selection, which is encouraging.
“Fitness is still a worry though, particularly when it comes to sevens rugby.
“The more you don’t play, the more you lose touch, so consistency is something that is going to be a must going forward.
“This applies to training and playing sevens rugby.
“We need more game time.
“We also don’t have the time to look into that for now but it is something that will need to be addressed going forward,” he said.
As a solution, Chipendu will be hoping to retain some of the players that took part in last year’s Africa Cup and Safari Sevens tournaments.
As an added bonus a huge chunk of those players have been training with the Sables which means they will be a step ahead of their contemporaries and some of the new guys.
In as far as the actual tournament is concerned, Zimbabwe find themselves in a tricky group.
Kenya, the most successful team in Africa men’s sevens history with six titles, will be aiming to improve on last year’s performance at Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mauritius.
At that tourney, Kenya’s second-string team narrowly missed out on a podium finish after going down to Zimbabwe and placing fourth.
Now the Kenya Morans will be out to avenge on that game and reclaim the crown they last seized in 2023.
Burkina Faso are the dark horses in the group with the West Africans a team on the rise. The same goes for Morocco, who have improved in leaps and bounds in rugby during the last couple of years.
