adminNgoni Dapira Weekender Correspondent
MUTARE Sports Club sevens rugby team bowed out of the 2014 sevens rugby summer series last Saturday at Harare Sports Club after failing to secure a top four position in the semi-finals.
MSC was competing in the Northern region (Harare) which comprised Old Hararians, Harare Sports Club, Police Defenders, Old Georgians, Southern City, Mbare Academy, Mabvuku and Northern Academy.
MSC chairman Moss Kapumha said they settled for position five out of nine.
However, only the top four teams qualified to the semi-finals to be played tomorrow (Saturday) at Harare Sports Club.
“We missed qualification by a whisker as we came out number five out of nine. We hope that some of our players were spotted for a shot in the Cheetahs squad,” said Kapumha.
Zimbabwe Rugby Union communications consultant Godfrey Koti said tomorrow’s semi-finals will pit the top four teams from the Southern and Northern region.
From the Southern Region (Bulawayo) the top four finalists were Busters, Western Panthers, Gweru Sports Club and Southern Academy, while from the Northern region the semi-finalists were OGS, HSC, OH and Northern Academy.
Koti said the summer series would be used to select the country’s best 7’s players for the Sevens Confederation of Africa Rugby Cup which will be hosted by Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club from November 29 to 30.
“Apart from the Summer series, we already have selectors who are going around the country to come up with a provisional squad, but generally the Sevens summer series will be used as the main platform to come up with a Cheetahs and Goshawks squad,” said Koti.
The Sevens CAR Cup is expected to draw 12 countries including the hosts, Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Nigeria, Madagascar, Namibia, Botswana, Senegal, Zambia, Ivory Coast and South Africa. After the Sevens CAR Cup the Cheetahs will have a mammoth task in competing for core-status at the prestigious Hong Kong 7’s world series qualifiers in February next year.
The Hong Kong 7’s is regarded as the premier 7’s event on the International Rugby Board world 7’s series.
If the Cheetahs win at the qualifiers in February they make the grade for core status in the elite nine-leg World Series.
Online Reporter