adminPaul Munyuki Sports Reporter
SABLES coach Cyprian “Supa” Mandenge says the increase in the number of teams at the 2023 World Cup comes as bonus as he believes Zimbabwe will make it for the 2019 edition of the global rugby showcase in Japan.
World Rugby chief executive Brett Gosper said his organisation was looking at having a 24-team tournament in 2023, up from the current 20, and although the format of the qualifiers is yet to be announced, there will be better chances for more African teams.
However, Mandenge told The Herald that his side would not wait for 2023, as he has a mandate to make sure the Sables qualify for the 2019 edition of the World Cup, with the country having failed over the last 24 years.
“It’s good for the game that the tournament expands but we don’t have to wait for 2023 to make it for the World Cup because coming in as the Sables coach, my main mandate is to make sure that we qualify for the next (2019) World Cup.
“There is no two ways about it because that is part of my key performance indicators and in order to make sure we qualify we have started on basic things like getting in touch with the players, informing them of our programme and making sure we build a player database.
“I have also submitted my short-term plan to the Zimbabwe Rugby Union, mainly focussing on this season and how I aim to make it through the Africa Cup.
“It’s not that I do not have a long-term plan but I am putting the final touches on the programme for submission to the Union.
“And it will also be wonderful that the Sables play an international friendly ahead of our game against Kenya at home in the Africa Cup tournament so that we, at least, know where we stand before the big game,” said Mandenge.
ZRU vice president, Colleen de Jong, said they were looking forward to the Sables playing a South African side but they were yet to get confirmation from Down South.
“We have provisionally set the friendly dates for the end of May and we are looking at playing whoever is willing to travel here to play us, we are still in negotiations with a number of Unions and, preferably, we would like to play a South African side,” said de Jong.
Zimbabwe last made it for the World Cup in 1991 which was their second appearance at the global stage having taken part in the inaugural tournament four years earlier.
On both occasions they went by virtue of invitations from the then International Rugby Board.
Last year the Sables came closest to qualifying for the quadrennial tournament, which will this year take place in England, but shot themselves in the arm, poor decision-making costing them an automatic slot as all they needed to do was win the Africa Cup.
But with a chance of doing so in the last moments of their game against Kenya, the Sables opted to go for posts after they were awarded a penalty in the Kenya 22-yard instead of running the ball and going for a bonus point try that they so badly needed, leaving Namibia to qualify.
The Sables once again got a chance to redeem themselves in the play-offs, travelling to Siberia where they lost to Russia, eventually marking the end of their painful yet unsuccessful campaign.
And Mandenge says he is working to avoid the same situation come 2019.
“To make sure that I understand the players I will be working with, the ZRU have adopted a model where as coaches of the various national sides will be involved in the different teams so that by the time the players graduate, say from the Young Sables to the Sables, we have a good picture of how they play.
“I would also like a situation where (Daniel) Hondo (Cheetahs coach) is also involved with the Sables, myself involved in the juniors and (Brandon) Brider (Young Sables) also involved in the Sables so that we have a holistic approach to the game.
“But before we get to the on-field training I believe we also have to have team building sessions and invest in a culture that builds Zimbabwean rugby as a strong, not vulnerable, brand,” said the former Sables assistant coach.
The oldest age-grade team in the Zimbabwe rugby set-up is the Under-20 Young Sables side but the former National Rugby League Coach of the Year feels there is need to have an active Under-23 set-up.
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