Tinaye Agere
Tinashe Kusema
SABLES captain Hilton Mudariki has spent the last couple of days trying to keep his feet on the ground as euphoria from Zimbabwe’s Africa Cup conquest continues to make rounds.
Alongside the duo of Kudzai Mashawi and Aiden Burnett, Mudariki was part of the Sables’ leadership that not only engineered Zimbabwe’s first win over Namibia in 23 years but also their second Africa Cup title in Uganda last weekend.
“Yeah, we are all very happy,” said Mudariki.
“We had not won this tournament in a very long time and to go to Uganda and achieve this feat is very special to us as a collective.
“It’s a credit to all the hard work we have put in as a team and the rewards for all the effort that we have put in over the last six or so months. The fans were really outstanding; people were supporting us throughout the tournament, and we saw all the messages on social media.”
For many and Mudariki, in particular, the 32-10 win against Namibia was a true highlight. Zimbabwe finally managed to break a 23-year losing streak to their neighbours and rugby rivals Namibia, who have been a thorn in the side on the rugby pitch.
The Sables have not been to the World Cup showpiece since 1991, and over the last three decades, they have lived in the shadows of the Namibians and, to some extent, Cote d’Ivoire.
Namibia have been to the last six World Cups — in Australia in 2003, France (2007), New Zealand (2011), England (2015), Japan (2019) and France (2023). They also had a superior head-to-head over the Sables, with the Welwitschias winning 33 times, as compared to Zimbabwe’s four victories now.
That was then. Now, Zimbabwe have a bigger fish to fry, with next year’s competition doubling as the 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifiers.
The global showcase will be held in Australia, with Africa given two slots as compared to the one in the previous editions.
Of course, South Africa qualify automatically due to their superior ranking and are excluded from the Africa Cup and qualifiers.
“The win over Namibia was a special victory for us and a step in the right direction,” he said.
“We needed to get over the hurdle. It is a special victory, especially for me, as I have been in the Sables setup for a very long time and had never beaten Namibia. We know that Namibia are a quality side and they will come back stronger and so, we need to make sure that we don’t stay stagnant and do the same.”
Mudariki is of the belief that the Sables squad is work in progress, but there are many positives to take away from Zimbabwe’s performance at this year’s Africa Cup. He said the positives should then form the basis of the starting point for the next and all-important edition of the continental tournament.
“Playing as many games as possible is definitely on the wish list,” said the skipper.
“Playing as many competitive games as possible is the only way we are going to improve, going forward. I know that the Sables Trust and the union (Zimbabwe Rugby Union) are working very hard to make sure that this happens.
“The team is work in progress and there were so many positive takeaways from the trip to Uganda.”
Online Reporter