Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema Zimpapers Sports Hub
Paddy Zhanda Jnr stood like a proud father as the Zimbabwe Rugby union Interim Management Committee chairperson welcomed his sevens side, the Cheetahs, at the union offices in Newlands on Wednesday.
The Zimbabwe rugby sevens side capped off what has been a brilliant 12 months for the sport as they were crowned Africa Cup Sevens champions in Uganda last weekend.
The win means that the country is now double champions, as the fifteens side, the Sables, won the continental cup also in Uganda last year.
The Sables’ win saw them book their ticket to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, while the Cheetahs now return to the World Rugby HSBC SVNS circuit.
“These are very exciting times for us,” said Zhanda.
“I am proud of the boys and the technical team as we know how much blood, sweat and tears went into their preparations.
“So it’s very nice when things work out the way they have.
“We are now the reigning fifteens and sevens African champions, so it is brilliant times for rugby in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The Cheetahs put up a near-perfect display in Uganda last week as they finished as the only unbeaten side in the eight-team tournament held at the Kyadondo Rugby Grounds in Kampala, Uganda.
On the way to the final, the Cheetahs beat Morocco (19-12), Ghana (40-17) and Nigeria (26-14) in the group stages of the tournament.
They were then made to sweat in the knock-out stages, eking out victories over Zambia (24-19) and Uganda (26-19) in the semi-finals and final, respectively.
The result means that Zimbabwe will be Africa’s representative on the HSBC SVNS circuit, according to the new format.
World Rugby has since revamped the format, dividing the teams into three categories in 2027.
At the top is Division One, which will encompass eight men’s and women’s teams.
In the men’s category, the teams include South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Fiji, France and the United States of America.
The women’s teams are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, France, Japan, Fiji and Spain.
Division Two will include six teams that will play three events in Kenya, Uruguay and Brazil.
The top four teams at the end will earn promotion to the World Championship, Division One.
Zimbabwe have earned their place in Division Three, formerly the Challenger Series.
There, eight men’s and women’s teams, taken from the regional tournaments across the globe, will meet for a standalone tournament in Dubai.
The top two teams will then earn promotion to Division Two.
For their part, the Zimbabwe Rugby union has pledged its full support to the Cheetahs, who have a busy schedule ahead of them during the final quarter of the year.
The Cheetahs are expected to travel to Kenya next week for the Safari Sevens series, slated for October 10-11.
Zimbabwe is believed to be still in line to host the Zambezi Challenge next month.
Both competitions will be used to fine-tune the Cheetahs’ preparations for the Dubai HSBC SVNS Three event, the dates of which are yet to be announced.
“We have had a plan, a contingency plan for this specific scenario where we qualify for the HSBC SVNS Three tournament,” said Zhanda.
“The most important thing here is the funding, which we have obviously put aside to make sure that their preparations are uninterrupted.
“It looks like it (Dubai tournament) might even be this side of the year, so the preparations are probably going to be non-stop.
“Luckily, we have planned for this and we expect everything to go according to plan,” he said.
The Cheetahs have already started their preparations for the Safari Sevens, with coach Fortune Chipendo hoping to get in as many sessions as possible before the team leaves for Kenya next week.
For Chipendo, defence will be a critical area, with the Cheetahs found lacking in that area back in Uganda.
“We want to work mostly on our defence,” said Chipendu.
“We let in some easy tries in Uganda and we need to polish up on our defensive structure and tighten up things on that end.
“I loved the fight the guys put up, going down 12-nil in the final but coming back to win it all,” he said.
The annual Safari Sevens rugby tournament returns next week, with the event slated for October 9-11 at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya.
The event is expected to attract 12 men’s and six women’s teams.
The Kenya Shujaa are the men’s defending champions and they will be joined by their developmental team, the Kenya Morans, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Shogun (UK), Scotland Sevens, the French Renegades, Wonder Sevens, Wellington Jaguars (South Africa), GEL Sevens (South Africa), SportPesa Fast Forwards (SA), and the Southern California Nomads (USA).
The women’s category will feature six teams, namely the Kenya Lionesses, Kenya Cubs, Uganda, Shibli, Costa Blanca Barbarians (Spain – 2024 champions) and Tunisia.
