Khumalo to lead Sables’ second battle

SABLES coach Piet Benade has named the 23-man squad to face Botswana in the highly-anticipated Zambezi Series clash at Harare Sports Club’s Machinery Exchange stadium tomorrow.

The encounter gets underway at 2.30pm.

Dion Khumalo will lead the Sables as captain for the first time, as regular skipper Hilton Mudariki will come off the bench as part of coach Benade’s tactical impact player set-up.

This approach is designed to sustain the physical intensity which the Sables displayed in their emphatic 70-15 victory over Zambia last weekend.

Khumalo is one of many testaments to the Grassroots-To-Greatness programme that has seen him, and a select few, transcend from junior set-ups such as the National Under-18 and Under-20 Junior Sables to the senior national team.

This pathway has been a critical element in developing players who can step up to the demands of inter-national rugby.

Speaking ahead of the match, Khumalo expressed his pride at leading the side.

“Leading the team on the field is such an honour, and it came as a surprise to me, but it’s easier when you are part of a system with leaders like Hilton (Mudariki), Aiden (Burnett), and (Kudzai) Mashawi.

“We are ready for Botswana this Saturday. Preparations have been going well, and we want to maintain the winning momentum. It is important for each one of us,” he said.

The ZRU also called on fans to come out in full force to support the Sables as they look to extend their winning streak and make a statement at home.

Khumalo also urged the home crowd to come through and provide the team with a significant psychological advantage.

“Playing at home is always exciting — it truly feels like we have a 16th player on the field, and we hope the HSC fans show up as they always do for us,” Khumalo said.

The match will also see Tyrone Gombe making his first start at scrumhalf, following his impressive performance off the bench against Zambia.

Gombe has shown great promise in training, earning a starting spot this weekend.

Meanwhile, Tadius “Boxer” Dzandiwandira will miss the match after sustaining a concussion in last weekend’s fixture, adding to the physical toll of the intense competition.

The Botswana Vultures, coached by Andrew Paxinos, have also confirmed their 24-man squad for this encounter, marking an essential step in their ongoing development pathway into becoming a competitive rugby nation.

Paxinos acknowledged the challenges his team faces.

“Well, we haven’t really had much preparation other than playing against Sibanye two weeks ago.

“We also just started our national league, therefore, we haven’t had very much training. It’s very important for Botswana Vultures to play strong opponents regardless of who it is.

“Zimbabwe will surely bring something different to that of South African club teams, and the more we can play, the more we learn through exposure.

“We want to stand up physically and execute our game plan as much as we can. We would need to win our set piece to have any chance at competing.

“No foreign players were brought in as we don’t really have any, and due to work and injury, a few will not be able to make it this weekend,” he said.

Botswana captain Brandon van Zyl added his thoughts on the upcoming match, emphasising the importance of challenging themselves against top-tier teams like Zimbabwe.

“The preparations leading up to this weekend’s game have been good. We had a training camp before Easter as well as a game against Sibanye Stillwater last weekend.

“The boys have been putting in the hard yards. It is very important for us to be playing top-tier teams like Zimbabwe. It exposes us to a high level of rugby, which we need to strive to compete at consistently.

“We know Zimbabwe is a physical and well-skilled outfit. We will try to put as much pressure on them as we can and not play too much rugby in our own half,” van Zyl said.

TEAMS:

Zimbabwe Starting XV: