adminMehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe national sevens rugby team the Cheetahs are going to prepare for their participation in the HSBC World Sevens Series qualifying tournament in Hong Kong with a training camp in South Africa. A final squad of 12 players was selected at the conclusion of the sevens summer series at Old Georgians Sports Club in Harare yesterday. Head coach Daniel Hondo said they were leaving for South Africa, Stellenbosch University, on 17 March before they head off for Hong Kong on 22 March. The HSBC Hong Kong Sevens runs from 27 to 29 March. In South Africa, the Cheetahs will get a chance to train with the Springboks Sevens at their world-class University of Stellenbosch training facilities where they will play against the Blitzbokke, South African Academy and Western Province in practice matches.
Winger Tafadzwa Chitokwindo will link up with the rest of the team in Hong Kong from his base in Germany where he is playing club rugby for TV Pforzheim in the Rugby-Bundesliga.
Team manager Steve McDonald said that they were still trying to seek clarity on the availability of the South Africa based duo of Lenience Tambwera who is playing in the Vodacom Cup for Valke and Hilton Mudariki who turns out for University of Johannesburg in the Varsity Cup.
McDonald pointed out that because of the financial implications involved, they were only looking at taking to South Africa only the players in the final squad to Hong Kong while an invitation to the training camp was going to be extended to players already based in the neighbouring country.
In their quest to become a World Rugby Sevens World Series fulltime member, Zimbabwe have to first negotiate their way past Spain, Tonga and Georgia in Pool G. Last year, Zimbabwe’s quest at attaining core membership status ended at the quarterfinal stage of the qualifier when they were defeated 17-12 by Italy in extra time which was seen as Zimbabwe’s best ever opportunity gone up in smoke.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter