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Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
IN what can be best described as a dramatic turn of events, Cyprian Mandenge is set to be reinstated as the Zimbabwe national fifteens rugby team coach, barely a month after resigning from the Sables post.
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union leadership met in Harare last Friday to deliberate on the new coach but with Africa Rugby having changed the format for its competitions for next year, it was felt that engaging a new mentor for the country’s flagship team was not the best thing to do at the moment.
Instead of the Africa Cup 1B where Zimbabwe have been relegated to being played in June, it will be at the beginning of 2017 to enable the winners to play in the elite 1A. It is this development which forced the ZRU hierarchy to swallow its pride and turn to Mandenge who was last month said to have been forced to relinquish his post. Mandenge had lost seven matches in a row which date back to August last year when the Sables were clobbered 80-6 by Namibia in an Africa Cup encounter.
Former coach Brendan Dawson was also considered but it is said to have been overlooked because of certain demands he made.
ZRU president Nyararai Sibanda said while a resolution has been made on the coach, the process was still to be completed with the individual settled on still yet to get the letter of appointment.
“A decision has been come to but the process is not yet complete. No one has been given any letter of appointment,’’ said Sibanda.
If confirmed, Mandenge’s immediate task will be to prepare the Sables for the Cup of Nations in Hong Kong in November.
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Bongani Ndlovu