Veronica Gwaze, Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER two years of near misses, Sables utility forward Vuyani Dhlomo has finally earned his breakthrough, travelling with Zimbabwe to the United Kingdom for the 2026 World Rugby Nations Cup.
The Sables are based in the cathedral city of Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England, where they open their campaign against Samoa this Saturday at the DIY Kitchens Stadium.
They will face Uruguay at Trailfinders Sports Ground in Ealing on November 14 before concluding their campaign against Chile on November 21 at Stade Chanzy in Angoulême, France.
The World Rugby Nations Cup features 12 teams, all of whom have already qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Zimbabwe arrived in the UK seeking their first Nations Cup victory after losing all three of their July fixtures in the Americas, going down 36-26 to Tonga, 31-15 to the United States and 23-19 to Canada.
For most Sables players, the tournament offers another important opportunity to strengthen their World Cup credentials and sharpen their preparations for next year’s global showpiece.
For Dhlomo, however, the tour represents something more personal: the reward for persistence after years of coming close to securing a place in the national team.
Since 2024, Dhlomo has been a familiar face in the Sables’ training camps, repeatedly joining the squad for preparations only to miss out when the final touring selections were announced.
He featured in unofficial matches against Zambia in 2024 and 2025, as well as Botswana, proudly donning the Sables jersey but repeatedly falling short of securing a place in the travelling squad.
“It has not been an easy journey,” he said.
“It has been an emotional yet beneficial one.
“So I always chose not to view it from a heartbreak point of view. For me, it became about the opportunity to be up close with the country’s best.
“It was a lot of absorption for me, absorbing that data, using it in the local league when I get to play, and even when I play Sevens, I always tap into those lessons.
“But I admit that I had to put in a lot of work, getting frustrated, heartbroken even, because after putting in so much work, I still had to go back to the drawing board and wait for my big moment.”
Dhlomo said he had to change his mindset, exercise patience and stop allowing the disappointment of missing out to overshadow his enjoyment of the game.
Instead, he turned the gruelling training camps into learning opportunities, drawing lessons from some of Zimbabwe’s finest players, including those plying their trade at foreign clubs.
Each time he returned to club rugby, he carried valuable lessons from the national set-up, gradually developing his game and positioning himself for the breakthrough that has now arrived.
“I am now realising that for one to eventually make it, there is a process behind it all, and you have to keep working even if the opportunity doesn’t come immediately,” he said.
Although he missed out on the decisive qualifying tournament, Dhlomo was part of the wider group that contributed to Zimbabwe’s preparations for the campaign that ultimately secured their return to the World Cup.
The Sables ended a 36-year absence from the global showpiece on July 19, 2025, beating Namibia at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, to book their place at the 2027 tournament in Australia.
Dhlomo still cherishes the memories of the training camp leading up to the qualifying matches and the emotions that accompanied Zimbabwe’s historic achievement.
“I still feel like I was there in the team. I mean, having gone for weeks in preparation, you obviously belong,” he said.
“It was a moment of pride; the emotions were too much, and distance did not matter. Figuratively, I was there with them, and we shared every emotion.”
Now that he has finally earned his place on the travelling squad, Dhlomo sees the Nations Cup as more than just another tour. It is an opportunity to prove that he can compete at the highest level and strengthen his case for World Cup selection.
With the 2027 tournament on the horizon, he is determined to make every opportunity on the pitch count, while remaining grounded about what lies ahead.
“Obviously, the goal would be to make it into the World Cup squad, but right now, I am here, and I want to focus more on the present opportunity,” he said.
“I have got my first chance to travel with the team. I need to give an honest account of myself.
“I want to give it my all here, and if or when the World Cup opportunity comes, it will be a bonus.”
As the Nations Cup gets under way, Dhlomo has the chance to demonstrate that he belongs among the Sables, not merely as a fringe player who has waited patiently for his turn, but as a genuine contender for a place in Zimbabwe’s World Cup plans.
