Andrew
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
OUTGOING Zimbabwe Sevens Rugby captain Kudzai Mashawi’s surprise decision to quit the game may have disappointed many, but it also brought to the fore the challenges confronting many athletes in the country.
The Cheetahs skipper stunned many a rugby faithful, when he announced his retirement at just the age of 29, with the move sparking some mixed reactions.
Mashawi has also sought to clear the air on what prompted his decision.
He revealed that lack of substantial financial returns from the game led him to call time on his career, rather prematurely.
“It is sad that it had to happen right now but I took a look at where the game is going and what had been put on the table for me, and it didn’t make a lot of sense,” Mashawi said.
“I know I am still young but I have responsibilities, a family to take care of and decisions had to be made.
“Rugby, especially international rugby, requires a lot of time and effort, and I am at a point where I cannot really commit fully.
“My family comes before everything else and the rugby side of things is not really allowing me to put food on the table,” he said.
It also emerged that the former Churchill High School learner had been grappling with whether to stay on or quit the game for quite some time.
“It was a very difficult decision to make as I had a very strong, supportive family, and a lot of time and effort had been invested into my rugby career.
“It is quite sad,” he said.
Mashawi’s decision is also a blow to Cheetahs’ coach Graham Kaulback, who had sought to build his squad around the captain in the aftermath of Zimbabwe’s disappointing show at the 2022 World Cup in Cape Town.
Despite the disappointment of losing their captain, the Cheetahs family, writing on their Facebook Page, paid tribute to Mashawi. “Cheetahs skipper Kudzai Weston Mashawi has announced his retirement from international rugby.
“His Sevens debut was in 2018. He led a largely local and young side to a second spot position in the Africa Men’s Sevens Cup 2022.
“He calls time on his international career, having captained a World Cup team, a feat few achieve. “Congratulations to a servant of the game and of Zimbabwe, who left nothing on the field of play.
“Much like his career, we know he will make a success of his future endeavours,” wrote the Cheetahs.
They added: “Thank you skipper; the Cheetahs family wishes you all the best.”
Mashawi describes himself as an “accidental rugby player”, as football was always his first love.
“I started playing rugby when I enrolled at Churchill Boys High, and what happened was that I was one of the taller boys in my class and was kind of ‘forced’ to try out.
“I loved playing football but that waned away when I was introduced to rugby and discovered that I had a knack for the sport,” he said.
Mashawi took to the sport like a fish to water, and soon got a scholarship to attend the Sharks Academy.
Like many talented rugby players in the country, the 29-year-old went through the motions, plying his trade with the Young Sables.
He also had a short stint with the Sharks provincial side and received his first call-up for the senior national team in 2016, against Namibia.
Mashawi stayed in the Sables set-up until 2018, when his Sevens calling came.
He made his debut for the Cheetahs in 2018 in Dubai and has stayed with the team right up to his retirement.
Mashawi lists both the World Cup participation and leading his country to a top three-place finish at this year’s Africa Cup in Uganda as the notable highs of his career.
He cites only one major regret.
“I am not really the kind of person who believes in regrets, but if I am to choose one, then it would be – we did not get core status on the sevens circuit during my time.
“It is the biggest achievement in Sevens rugby, and my hope now is that it happens and happens soon.
“I have a lot of faith in the group that remains behind, and I know they can do anything they put their minds to,” he said.
Mashawi also revealed that he would not totally walk away from rugby as he intends to keep playing in the domestic game while also hoping to eventually venture into coaching.
Online Reporter