adminSenior Sports Reporter
SOUTH African referee Marius van der Westhuizen has been appointed to handle the elite Africa Cup Division 1A contest between Zimbabwe and Kenya at the Police Grounds in Harare on Saturday.
The 32-year-old Van der Westhuizen from Cape Town, who started officiating Test rugby last year at the Tbilisi Cup in Georgia, will have Namibian Daniel Koen and Collins Mulindwa of Uganda as assistant referees, while Jennifer Wentzel from South Africa is the match commissioner.
Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe from across the Limpopo River is the citing commissioner. All the match officials are set to arrive in the country tomorrow.
The Cyprian Mandenge coached Sables defeated the Simbas 28-20 last year in what turned out to be a closely fought encounter played at Prince Edward School’s Jubilee Field that was also handled by another South African Stuart Berry.
American Kurt Weaver was the man in the middle when the Sables defeated Tunisia 19-8 at the same venue before they went on to suffer a humiliating 80-6 defeat to Namibia in Windhoek in a fixture handled by South African top referee Craig Joubert.
The loss to Namibia saw Zimbabwe, winners of the Africa Cup in 2012, finishing second, with the Namibians retaining the title they won in 2014.
The Sables went into camp on Monday and have been holding practice sessions at Harare Sports Club. A team captain’s run will take place tomorrow at the Police Grounds.
Mandenge bemoaned the absence of some key players he would have loved to run out against the Kenyans on Saturday.
Some of those that could not make it are the Mudariki brothers Hilton and Farai, Njabulo Ndlovu, Jan Ferreira, Alva Senderayi, Kingsley Lang, Shayne Makombe, Tichafara Makwanya, Andrew Rose, Lungile Tshuma and Sanele Sibanda.
Front rower Denford Mutangamira will once again lead the Sables this year.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Under-16 lost 12-20 to Valke in their second match at the on-going Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week at Paarl Gymnasium in South Africa yesterday.
Douglas Trivella’s boys could not replicate their opening day performance that saw them overcome Border 41-0 on Monday.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo