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Mehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE national 15s rugby teams coach Brendan Dawson is disappointed by lack of corporate support for the Sables ahead of their crucial 2015 International Rugby Board Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Madagascar at the end of this month.Lack of funding has seen the Zimbabwe Rugby Union shelve plans for the Sables to play warm-up matches against South African provincial sides.
Instead the Sables will hold a 10-day training camp which starts in Harare tomorrow where 35 players have been called up. The squad is going to be trimmed down to the final 26 who will make the trip to Antananarivo next Thursday.
Concerns are that some of Zimbabwe’s opponents in Madagascar, Kenya and Namibia have played South African provincial side Western Province in the build up to the qualifiers which leaves Zimbabwe least prepared for the challenge that will be posed by the two teams.
Dawson said while he was concerned about the team’s preparations, there was little he could do without any funding for warm up matches. The coach said they were going to try their best to make the training camp prepare the players for the qualifiers.
“I am really disappointed with the lack of support from the corporate world, no one seems to care that we are going for World Cup qualifiers. We wanted to do better but there is nothing we can do, we are going to do the best we can during the camp to prepare with what we have,’’ said Dawson.
A number of yet to be capped players have been called into camp. Some of these players are South African born loose forward Lambert Groenewald who plays for the Lions, Ireland based former Young Sables player Graeme Lawler who is also a loose forward, prop Lawrence Cleminson, Ireland based scrumhalf Peter Du Toit who has previously played for the Ireland Under-21, Golden Lions scrumhalf Guy Cronje and Rian O’Neil.
Dawson said there were going to be a lot of unhappy players since no one was guaranteed a place in the team and even the foreign based legion could fail to make it into the final travelling squad if they were not up to the required standards.
In Madagascar, Zimbabwe will play against Namibia, Kenya and Madagascar. A top finish in the round robin event will see Zimbabwe automatically qualifying for the next year’s World Cup in England while a runner-up spot means Zimbabwe head into a play-off against runners up from other continental qualifiers.
Zimbabwe last made an appearance at an IRB Rugby World Cup in Wales in 1991 when Dawson was still a player.
Squad
Forwards: Fortune Chipendu, Jan Ferreira, Schalk Ferreira, Lambert Groenewald, Pieter Joubert, Graeme Lawler, Jacques Leitao, Matthew Mandioma, Tapiwa Mangezi, Keith Murray, Denford Mutamangira, Royal Mwale, Njabulo Ndlovu, Kevin Nqindi, Michael Passaportis, Andrew Rose, Sanele Sibanda, Nick Winwood, Takudzwa Chifokoyo, Kingsley Lang, Lawrence Cleminson
Backs: Tafadzwa Chitokwindo, Daniel Hondo, Stephan Hunduza, Shayne Makombe, Tichafara Makwanya, Hilton Mudariki, Gardner Nechironga , Tangai Nemadire, Riaan O’Neill, Danny Roberston, Gerald Sibanda, Lenience Tambwera, Guy Cronje, Peter Du Toit.
Online Reporter