sables coach is a man with a big plan

Tinashe Kusema

Zimpapers Sports Hub

PIET BENADE is a man with a plan.

While the 2027 Rugby World Cup remains the ultimate goal, the Zimbabwe senior national rugby team have a series of important campaigns coming up over the next 12 months.

And the Sables coach appears to have everything mapped out.

He has unveiled a seven-month programme that includes cross border tours against the likes of Zambia and Botswana.

He also intends to host African Challenges against Kenya, Uganda and Namibia.

All of it is geared towards preparing his side for next year’s World Rugby Nations Cup, a tournament designed to give World Cup teams much needed exposure and competitive game time.

There, Zimbabwe have dates lined up against Canada, the United States of America and their World Cup opponents Tonga.

If everything falls into place, the Sables could play as many as 20 Test matches by the end of the year.

“We are obviously looking forward to next year,” said Benade.

“We are super stoked by the happenings of the last month or so, what with the draw and everything.

“It has really hit home what we have achieved and put into perspective the challenges that lie ahead.

“Now, we are just looking forward to preparing the boys and putting on a good show in 2026,” he said

Benade then went into detail about the thinking behind his programme.

“We have two big campaigns coming up, 2026 and 2027.

“So, 2026, I think, we be about really building our team, seeing the gap in the performance of Rugby Africa and what we are going to be up against in July even.

“So we are just going to be closing that gap just in terms of personnel, preparation and training, and then we will see how well we do in July in Nations Cup.

“We, obviously, have a wish list and topping that is activity and game time.”

He added:

“We have a few Cross border Rugby Challenges that we would love to play against Zambia and Botswana.

“We would also love to invite the Kenyans, the Ugandans and the Namibians for a couple of Test matches.

“All these things, they cost money and that is where the grant money comes in.

“We have three campaigns, the cross border, the African challenge and then the trip to America.

“Hopefully, we can do everything at a standard that allows us to be competitive,” he said.

The Sables have since broken camp for the holidays and are expected to regroup in the first week of January.

That is when the real work begins.

In the meantime, Benade and his technical team will be focused on aligning their structures with World Rugby requirements.

Those include addressing player recruitment, contract negotiations and medical insurance.

Player recruitment has been flagged as a priority.

The technical team has divided the playing pool into three tiers.

Tier one, made up of about 12 to 15 players, includes those with Zimbabwean heritage playing in top leagues around the world.

Tier two, with roughly 20 to 25 players, is drawn from regional leagues, while the third tier consists of locally based and developmental players.