Cheetahs out of Rio Olympics

Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe national sevens rugby team Cheetahs are out of contention for a place at the Rio Olympics after losing two matches and winning one in Pool A of the qualifiers in Monaco yesterday. Zimbabwe started off the 16-team competition on a bad note with a 21-12 defeat to Ireland in their first match, before they beat Tonga 21-14 but went down 21-7 to Samoa to finish third in the four-team group where Tonga ended at the bottom of the log. This means that Zimbabwe are going to compete in the playoffs outside the main qualifier with Ireland and Samoa going through to the quarter-finals.

Daniel Hondo’s boys, missing the services of speedster Tafadzwa Chitokwindo who could not be chosen because he is trying to secure an extension to his stay in Germany where he plays club rugby had to finish in the top two in their pool in order to remain with an opportunity to head to Brazil in August.

This is a huge disappointment for the Hilton Mudariki captained side as a lot was expected from them considering that they pushed Kenya to the edge in the African qualifiers where they led for most parts of the game in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Meanwhile, the Abigail Kawonza coached Lady Cheetahs leave tomorrow for the women final Olympic qualifiers in Ireland with hope that they can better than their male counterparts. The women are having a kit to be used in Ireland in Harare today at the Zimbabwe Rugby Union offices, a ceremony to be presided over by the Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhosini Hlongwane.