Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema-Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE rugby captain Hilton Mudariki appeared in good spirits as the Sables stepped up their act ahead of their Rugby Africa Cup final showdown against nemesis Namibia in Uganda this weekend.
The team was given the day off on Monday after their gruelling 29-23 semi-final win over Kenya before returning to business on Tuesday.
They have since put in a few sessions ahead of their all-important final against the Welwitschias at the Mandela National Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Rather than focus too much on their opponents, the Sables camp seem hellbent on ensuring they perfect their own craft.
After all, this is the formula that brought them to the party in the first place.
“We are focusing on ourselves,” said Mudariki.
“It is a final and there is no excuse but to focus and execute our plan because the team is gelling well and we are fixing a few of the mistakes we made,” he said.
With the end in sight, there is a lot more than just some bragging rights, which the Namibians have enjoyed for decades.
As has often been the case when these two teams clash in the Africa Cup, a lot will be at stake, chief among them a ticket to the Rugby World Cup.
The winner of Saturday’s showdown will punch their tickets to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Finishing as Africa Cup runners-up means an ardours qualifying route that involves an Africa/Asia play-off before the winners head to a tournament of continental runners-up known as Repechage.
The Repechage, officially the last chance to qualify, will be held from November 8-18 in the United Arab Emirates.
But the Sables are looking to get the job done in July and specifically this Saturday.
And Mudariki wants his troops to win it for the entire Zimbabwe and in the process end a long wait spanning 34 years to return to the glamour of the World Cup.
“Saturday is not only about the team but also the 15-plus millions that are backing us up.
“Some families are literally in Uganda and more people are flying in from home.”
“There is a lot of pressure but that’s the nature of a final where both nations want the same result and there can only be one winner.
“Qualifying for the Rugby World Cup means everything to us.
“For us, as players, it has been years and years of hard work and sacrifice,” Mudariki said. Standing in the way of Zimbabwe finally realising a long-cherished return to the Rugby World Cup is an all-too familiar foe in Namibia.
The Welwitschias have been to the last seven World Cups, mostly at the expense of the Sables, and currently enjoy a healthy head-to-head count against Zimbabwe.
The two nations have met a total of 34 times with the Welwitschias winning on 30 of those occasions and the Sables claiming four.
During that time, Namibia has enjoyed a mental advantage over Zimbabwe, one that was only broken last year.
The Sables beat Namibia 32-10, en-route to lifting the Rugby Africa Cup last year, with Zimbabwe achieving their first victory over their southern neighbours since 2012.
Now, the tables have turned and it is the Sables who seem to be living rent free in the minds of the Namibia rugby population.
Mudariki, however, is not reading too much into this as he rallies his boys to keep their eyes on the prize.
“I think it has given us belief more than anything and acts as a reminder that we can indeed compete at this level,” said the skipper on the victory over Namibia last year. “This is a new game and we are not reading too much into the past.
“We know we will have to earn it all over again and we are under no illusions about how tough it is going to be.
“There is obviously pressure on us to get the job done but we see it more of an opportunity than anything else.
“It is a chance to represent Zimbabwe with pride and chase something that we have all dreamed about.
“We are going to try to stay grounded, focus on roles and not get caught up in the occasion,” he said.
