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Sports Reporter
HOSTS Zimbabwe will test their pedigree when they get their Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens’ championships campaign off with a tough date against the continent’s number one team South Africa at the Police Grounds this morning. The Lady Cheetahs will play all their group games today and hope to advance to tomorrow’s final.Lady Cheetahs captain Charity “Chokey” Mucucuti was yesterday upbeat about her team’s chances and urged rugby fans to come and cheer them.
Zimbabwe are in Pool A which also includes Namibia and Senegal.
Eight African countries will be fighting for rankings in the two-day tournament.
Pool B is made up of second ranked Kenya, Madagascar, Uganda and Tunisia.
The Lady Cheetahs are rated the fourth strongest among the teams in the tournament and their match against the Lady BlitzBokkes starts at 11am before they take on Namibia at 1pm.
Coach Abigail Kawonza will see her charges rounding up their group matches with a contest against Senegal at 3.30pm.
Old Hararians prop Mucucuti said they were looking at maximising on home advantage.
“We want everybody to be there in the stadium to support us tomorrow (today) it is exciting when you are running with the ball, you are playing and you can hear people screaming your name or the name of the country.
“This is our first time hosting Africa Cup.
“We have the best teams in Africa coming and I am sure the young players will learn seeing what other teams can do and what we can’t do,” said Mucucuti.
She acknowledged that the South Africans would provide them with a tough test, but believes they are better conditioned following their participation at the Rio Olympic Sevens Repechage Rugby tournament in Ireland two months ago.
The Lady Cheetahs have been preparing for this tournament since they returned from Europe before intensifying their workouts this week.
“The preparations have been going good so it is going to be a tough competition against South Africa, but we are expecting to do our best.
“We had a good experience in Ireland and saw some good rugby so I expect the team is going to put what we saw there into the game and implement what we have seen in Dublin into all the games.
“People are excited, but the team is focused too.
“Every time, we play South Africa we always put up a big fight so they are also expecting Zimbabwe to put up a big fight because every time we have played them it would be a great game and always fight to the end, so it would be a great game,” she said.
South African skipper Lorinda Brown said they face stiff competition in their bid to return to the world circuit.
“Our expectation is to be the champions of this tournament and I think for all the teams it is going to be the same.
“Our goal is also to go back on the world circuit and this tournament is going to be the foundation. It is going to be tough to stay at the top because all the teams are going to fight and improve.
“We have done a lot of homework on Zimbabwe,” said Brown.
Lady Cheetahs team
Charity Muchuchuti (Old Hararians), Precious Marange (Harare Sports Club), Peace Sithole (Cubs), Carol Malenga (Cubs), Rumbi Chigumba (Cubs), Constance Ngwende (Police), Sicelumusa Nyoni (Cubs), Ruvimbo Musere, Margaret Mangwiro (Old Hararians), Hilda Marange (Old Hararians), Simbi Kadye (Old Hararians), Delight Mukomondo (U-18).
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