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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Rugby Union (ZRU) vice-president Martin Shone says the Nedbank Rugby Challenge Cup presents an opportunity for local players to impress national team coaches ahead of upcoming Sables assignments.
The competition returned this year after a three-year absence and is being held in partnership with Harare Province Rugby and the Sables Trust.
Six teams will play three rounds of matches, with the top two meeting in the final on March 12. The games will also be used to choose the Goshawks Select side that will take part in the Currie Cup in March 2022.
“Basically this competition is meant for the coaches to have a look at local players who might make it for the Currie Cup.
The competition started a fortnight ago and I tell you competition is excellent. Having watched the games I can assure you that we have seen competitive games. This will be very helpful to the coaches in coming up with the strongest possible Sables squad,” said Shone.
Zimbabwe will prepare for the Rugby Africa Cup by taking part in South Africa’s Currie Cup First Division, which gets underway on the first weekend of April.
Other international sides taking part in the Currie Cup First Division are Georgia and Kenya.
Ahead of the preparatory competition, Nedbank last week announced a US$200 000 sponsorship for the Sables.
“Obviously it was quite a relief for us to get the Nedbank sponsorship. This is an international organisation and for the leadership to attract such sponsorship is huge. This has not happened in a long time and I am sure it shows the leadership is doing well to attract the eyes of sponsors,” said Shone.
Nedbank was in May last year unveiled as main sponsors of the Sables, who were then preparing for the Rugby Africa Cup Pool D, which was initially scheduled for Tunisia.
Tunisia withdrew citing Covid-19, leaving Zimbabwe to face Burkina Faso twice in Harare.
Zimbabwe won both matches to win the pool. At this year’s Rugby Africa Cup to be staged in France in July, Zimbabwe will face off against Côte d’Ivoire in the quarter-finals.
Should they overcome the West Africans, the Sables will most likely face Namibia in the last four, if they beat Burkina Faso. — @innocentskizoe
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