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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Rugby Union (ZRU) has confirmed that the Rugby Africa Cup Pool D matches will be staged in the country from July 16-22 after initial hosts Tunisia pulled out.
With Tunisia’s non-participation, Pool D now remains with just Zimbabwe and Burkina Faso.
In a statement, ZRU said Zimbabwe had been granted the rights to host the matches.
“Zimbabwe will now host Pool D games after Tunisia failed to host the tournament following a surge in Covid-19 cases, which saw them move from orange to a red zone. Zimbabwe was on standby to host the games as the second highest ranked team in the group,” read the ZRU statement.
“The tournament was dealt a further blow when Tunisia (team) was denied permission to travel to Zimbabwe. This means Pool D matches will now be a two- team tournament to establish the ranking for the next stage of the competition in 2022. The tournament will now take place between the 16th and 22nd of July, with two games being played under strict Covid-19 guidelines and no spectators.”
The tournament was initially set to take place in Monastir from July-17, but Tunisian authorities pulled the plug on the event citing rising Covid-19 cases.
The Rugby Africa Cup serves a qualifier for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. – @innocentskizoe
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