Veronica Gwaze-Zimpapers Sports Hub
WHEN the Sables host Namibia in a Test match at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday, it will be more than just a friendly.
A 25-year-old jinx needs to be broken.
Zimbabwe have failed to beat Namibia on home soil for more than two-and-a-half decades.
Their last home victory came on July 7, 2001, in a narrow 27-26 win at Hartsfield in Bulawayo in the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Championship.
They were under the tutelage of Godwin “Jaws” Murambiwa.
That drought could end this weekend in front of a packed iconic venue with the match scheduled to get underway at 3pm.
Interestingly, the current Sables squad, which is built entirely on local talent, iwill be playing at the iconic giant stadium for the first time.
And home support is expected to provide the atmosphere they have long yearned for.
What makes the battle even more compelling is the longstanding rivalry between the two sides
The Sables beat Namibia 30-28 in the final of the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala, Uganda, to seal qualification for the World Cup. They ended a 36-year wait.
“Welcoming Namibia, our big Southern Hemisphere and African rival will be a huge highlight because we have not beaten them in our country for 25 years so it will certainly a big match that our boys are up for,” said Sables coach Pieter Benade.
“This doesn’t feel like a friendly, everyone is excited about the venue so that’s going to be an attraction on its own just from the boys’ point of view and the supporters.
“It has been long since the Sables last played there or a Zimbabwean team played there, I think the Sharks played the Bulls, so we have had South Africans there but not a Zimbabwean team making it a special occasion for us.”
The Sables will miss at least eight international players in a development that allows some locals to step up and prove themselves. This Test also comes as part of the Sables’ build-up to next year’s World Cup with the platform meant to provide a chance for Benade to measure his team’s progress and test depth.
