Sables complete national tour

THE Zimbabwe national senior rugby team has completed its Africa Cup Zimbabwe Tour with a stop in Manicaland province.

As part of the tour, the team has been visiting various provinces, engaging with rugby enthusiasts and giving Zimbabweans a chance to admire the coveted Africa Cup.

Last month, the African champions visited Bulawayo where they met with the mayor, David Coltart, and played against a provincial select team at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds.

This time the team was in Mutare, where the excitement of winning the Africa Cup in Uganda in July continues reverberating through the rugby community and sports supporters.

One of the Sables forwards, Tadiwa Gwashu, is a proud representative of Manicaland and spoke about the significance of winning the Africa Cup for his province and the whole of Zimbabwe.

He expressed gratitude for the warm reception they received from his hometown, saying it was a reminder that their efforts on the field were not just for themselves but for millions of Zimbabweans across the country.

He said the love is a constant reminder that when they step onto the field, they are not doing it for themselves but for the millions of Zimbabweans back home.

“Sometimes we forget how big winning in Uganda was to the people in Zimbabwe. Coming to Mutare Sports Club brings back good memories and the smiles from the crowd and words of love from the streets warm my heart. It’s a reminder for me and the boys that when we are on the field, it’s not just about us the players but the millions of people we represent back home,” said Gwashu.

The streets of Mutare pulsed with energy as the Zimbabwe National Army Brass Band led a triumphant trophy parade through the town.

The festivities were set to continue with the Astra Rugby Festival for Seniors B’s, a fiercely competitive tournament featuring teams vying for the coveted Dobropoulos Shield, named in honour of Nick Dobropoulos.

Mutare Sports Club and Old Christinians battled it out in a thrilling final, with nail-biting tension mounting until the very last minute. In the end, the hosts emerged victorious, winning the match 28-21 to the delight of the home crowd.

Meanwhile, in the third-place game, Midlands State University overpowered Africa University with a decisive 31-12 victory.

Dobropoulos, a beloved figure in the local community, played a pivotal role in establishing rugby in the region. In 1983, he was instrumental in constructing the rugby field at Mutare Sports Club, which has since become a hub for local rugby enthusiasts.

Despite the initial challenges of specialisation and limited resources, Dobropoulos and a collective of community champions such as former Sables Captain Piet de Klerk dedicated themselves to developing the sport in the province.

Today, Dobropoulos’s legacy lives on through the work of his son Peter, an honorary board member in the Manicaland Rugby Province. Peter was thrilled to welcome the Sables team as guests at the Astra Rugby Festival, a testament to the enduring spirit of rugby in Mutare.

“I managed to get my dad’s old trophy that he donated in 1996 for the Astra Rugby Festival for the Senior B team, but it was never played. Sadly, that was the year he died, and it was never played. Now I am happy we have a chance to play it.

“It’s incredible coming to the ground. The last time we had a big visit like this was in the 1990s when the British and Irish Barbarians and White Planes (USA) visited,” said Peter.

Over 300 spectators graced the Sables’ visit and Astra Rugby Festival, and the warm reception showed a revival of the glory days at Mutare Sports Club.

Zimbabwe Rugby Union vice president (North), Tapfuma Parirenyatwa, said there is a renaissance in rugby development in the country.

“As a Union, we can never express the collective effort of all facets of the rugby community to make the game better. There was a fantastic procession in the streets of Mutare this morning, and there are plans, through the Mutare Provincial Board, to get their facilities back to the standard that made legends here.”

The Sables are set to face The United Arab Emirates and South Korea in November as part of their preparations for next year’s World Cup Qualifier.
— @brandon_malvin.l