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Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
MINISTER of Sports Arts and Culture, Kirsty Coventry has welcomed all the nations taking part in the Paramount Garments 2023 Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens tournament, which begins this morning at Harare Sports Club.
Zimbabwe will host some of the top countries on the continent that include Algeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia.
The winners will qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris while the second and third placed teams will get another chance in the 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament featuring the runners-up from across the continents.
In addition, the top two teams will qualify for the 2024 Challenger Series.
The continental rugby tournament will be broadcast exclusively on Zimpapers Television Network, ZTN Prime found on DStv channel 294.
Minister Coventry officially welcomed all the teams at a ceremony held at a venue in the capital yesterday.
Welcoming the visitors, Minister Coventry said she is happy for Zimbabwe Rugby Union and all stakeholders who have worked hard for the county to host such a prestigious tournament.
“I am happy that we are hosting this rugby tournament and I am grateful to all those who made it possible. And I say to the Cheetahs let’s go out and win. We are behind you and we hope to see all our investments we have made come to fruition,” said Coventry.
The 12-team tournament will double as the qualifiers for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and all the teams are already in the county for the tournament.
After weeks of preparations, Zimbabwe Rugby Union on Tuesday announced a 12-member squad led by Godfrey Magaramombe, who is on record saying that they are ready for the challenge.
“I think most of our guys are very skilled on the field and definitely electric on their pace.
“Trying to combine those two, and then we have one or two big guys who will be there for those big hits but then those electrical and the speed into spaces is what we are trying to achieve.
“Obviously, we needed some time off just to get more bonding during training. We have just been working on our individual and unit skills so that we can get better. “I think that whole week was beneficial to us. At least we got to see where we needed to improve and how we can focus on that before we get into the tournament,” said Magaramombe.
The squad is a blend of experienced players such as Hilton Mudariki who is the vice-captain, Takudzwa Kumadiro and France-based Riaan O’Neil with young bloods like Under-20 rugby sensation Shadreck Mandaza.
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