Online Reporter
Tawah Munthali-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe men’s national Sevens rugby team, the Cheetahs, are set to leave the country for Kampala, Uganda today with hopes of turning months of preparation into a strong showing in the Africa Sevens Series.
The Cheetahs have been in camp for more than eight weeks under the tutelage of new head coach Fortunate Chipendu, who took over from Ricky Chirengende, giving the new technical team ample time to work on fitness, combinations and their game plan ahead of the tournament.
Assistant coach Tinashe Shamu believes the extended period in camp has allowed the new look technical team to introduce its philosophy while giving the players enough time to adapt.
“We have done the best we can with the time that we had. We put out an eight-week programme to get these boys in shape and then also to try to run through some of the things we wanted from them,” said Shamu.
“Obviously, for a lot of these boys, it’s new coaches, new philosophies, so there’s always a transition time you have to allow.
“When new people are in coaching, we have all got our philosophies, so we are just trying to get our philosophy onto them so that we can progress forward.”
The Cheetahs will be banking on a blend of experienced players and fresh faces, with regulars such as Vuyani Dhlomo, Kudakwashe Nyamakura and captain Tapiwa Malenga expected to provide leadership in the forwards.
In the backs, Carlos Matematema and Ryan Musumhi are among those expected to play key roles.
Zimbabwe have been drawn in Pool A alongside Nigeria, Ghana and Morocco and will have a busy opening day on September 26, playing all three pool matches.
They begin their campaign against Morocco before facing Ghana and later Nigeria.
Shamu says the team’s focus will be on making the most of scoring opportunities, an area he feels has cost the Cheetahs in previous tournaments.
“We don’t always cross the line when it comes to the Cheetahs, so we are hoping we can dig into that. That’s one of our main focuses,” he said.
“Any opportunity we are given, we want to come with the right mentality. We should not be worried about who we are playing, what time we are playing, who the referee is, or whatever the conditions are. We want to make sure that we come on the right side of the score come the end.”
Malenga echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying the team’s preparations have given them confidence ahead of the tournament.
The Cheetahs have endured near misses in previous competitions, including finishing runners-up, and the skipper believes the players are determined to go one step further this time around.
“We have been going to tournaments where we fell short, coming second and all that, so our mindset right now is just getting there and playing each game as it comes,” said Malenga.
“At the end, what we are trying to achieve is getting back there with a trophy so that at least when we come back to our fans, they will have something to cherish.”
Beyond the immediate target of winning the tournament, Zimbabwe also have their eyes on securing regular inter-national competition.
“Our goal is representing the nation well by bringing something back and, by doing so, it creates more games within the Sevens setup,” said Malenga.
“Qualifying for the Sevens three guarantees us more games, an area where we have been down so far, and that is where our main focus is getting it to a place where it was before.”
The winner of the SVNS 3 2026/27 Africa Qualifiers will qualify for World Rugby SVNS 3 2027, providing the African representative with an opportunity to compete on the international Sevens stage.
The final standings will also determine positions three to eight in the Africa Men’s Sevens Ranking for 2026, with the tournament winner taking third place and the lowest-ranked team finishing eighth.
Zimbabwe Cheetahs:
Tapiwa Malenga (Captain), Vuyani Dhlomo, Godfrey Magaramombe, Dion Khumalo, Kudakwashe Nyamakura, Carlos Matematema, Tavonga Ablant, PK Manyakara, Tatenda Kamubvumbi, Munyaradzi Ngandu, Trevor Gurwe, Ryan Musumhi.
