adminAfrican tournaments as he aims at widening the player base.
Due to financial constrains, the Cheetahs management is not able to bring the foreign based players especially those based in Europe for the African tournaments.
Players who include the Germany-based duo of Manasah Sita and Gardner Nechironga will not be part of the side that travels to South Africa for the Rustenburg Sevens next month.
However, the Zimbabwe Rugby Union will sacrifice when it comes to the bigger tournaments such as the IRB Sevens Series where Zimbabwe take part in the Dubai and Port Elizabeth opening legs of the series.
The Rustenburg event will be a one-day tournament and most of the Cheetahs players who are based in South Africa will link up with the locals in Johannesburg for team practice sessions a day before the tournament.
In the past, Zimbabwe would travel to South Africa for the Rustenburg and Platinum Sevens as back-to-back tournaments, but the latter has since been scraped.
And in place of this tournament is the first edition of the Craven Week Sevens tournament that the Zimbabwe schools Under-18 side coached by Andy Ferreira has been invited to take part in.
However, Zimbabwe will not be able to travel with the Goshawks as they have done in the previous African tournaments because the Rustenburg event will only be a day’s tournament.
Hobson believes the absence of such players as Nechironga and Sita will give the Cheetahs technical team an opportunity to have a look at other and up coming players.
“We are going to miss a lot of players but that will be a chance for us to look at the junior players that have the passion and potential to make it for the Cheetahs.
“This will not only bring competition into the team for jerseys but with the fact that we are looking at having a bigger player pool base it will be an advantage to the whole system,” said Hobson.
Some of the players that were part of the Goshawks side that took part at the Castle Sevens in Zambia last month whom Hobson is having a look at include Reggie Mutangadura and Kelvin Magunje.
It was at this tournament that Zimbabwe achieved a historic feat when they won the Castle Cup for the fifth time becoming the first side to win the competition as many times.
They also won the Africa Cup Southern Region tournament to become the highest ranked Sevens side in this part of Africa – After South Africa – having beating Kenya in the final.
Traditionally the Cheetahs play in the Dubai and South Africa legs of the IRB Sevens and are invited to the Hong Kong leg depending on how they would have done at the season openers.
Given the spirited performance in Zambia, Zimbabwe could get recognition to play at more Sevens Series tournaments, further exposing the players to more games and enhancing their chances of making it for the World Cup.
But the Cheetahs are currently focused on the Rustenburg tournament that is likely to act as their last big tournament before they embark on the IRB journey.
Hobson is impressed with most of the players that he has in camp.
“There is also Lungile Tshuma, Kuda Chiwanza and Lloyd Machanjaira because they looked so good in Zambia for the Goshawks.
“And it being a one day tournament I am sure it will be a good conditioning tournament for our side as we will play about four or five games depending on how we do.
“But South African based players such as Tafadzwa Chitokwindo and Graham Kaulback would join us there because they have a lot of university commitments and they wont be able to travel here to Zimbabwe.
“But it has been brilliant training with the guys that came from the Goshawks, they push the seniors a bit more because they want to get the jersey while the seniors work to maintain their place. We also need cover
for the IRB tournaments and the more competitive players we have the healthier our squad gets,” said the former ZRU president.
Online Reporter