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Tinashe Kusema, Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE chatter around Harare Sports Club drifts between club gossip and schoolboy results, but on the far touchline, Piet Benade stands a few steps away from the noise, arms folded, eyes fixed on patterns only he seems to notice, watching bodies move and space open and close as if the future of Zimbabwe rugby is already playing out in front of him.
For much of the past few months, the Zimbabwe Sables coach has stayed out of sight, surfacing only occasionally at the Under-20 Rugby League, choosing instead to spend long hours reviewing footage, studying opposition trends and sketching out plans for a year that could define both his tenure and the direction of the national side. Those who have worked closely with him say the quiet spells are rarely idle, that he prefers long stretches of observation before offering an opinion, storing details until the bigger picture begins to reveal itself.
This is not a season built around hype or grand declarations. It is a season of careful construction, of measuring where Zimbabwe truly sits in a rapidly shifting international landscape, and of preparing a squad to step into arenas where reputations mean little once the collisions start and the pace lifts beyond anything domestic rugby can fully replicate.
The release of fixtures for both the World Rugby Nations Cup and the 2026 Rugby World Cup has sharpened the focus inside the Sables camp, turning what had been abstract ambition into something far more tangible, a schedule that now gives shape to months of planning and quiet conversations behind closed doors. Players scattered across leagues in South Africa, Europe and beyond now have dates to circle, targets that turn gym sessions and recovery routines into something more purposeful.
“I think any time official fixtures are made public, there is a level of excitement that comes with it as we start looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” Benade said.
“The Nations Cup will give us valuable experience against tough opposition to see where we are in terms of being competitive on the biggest stage of all. We also now have some sort of clarity as it pertains to our World Cup campaign.”
The Nations Cup will bring together twelve teams that have qualified for the 2027 World Cup, offering a demanding stretch of fixtures that will test depth, physical resilience and mental strength across two international windows in July and November. Zimbabwe find themselves in the Afro EuroAsia pool alongside Georgia, Portugal, Hong Kong, Romania and Spain, while their cross pool opponents include Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, the United States and Uruguay.
It is a draw that promises variety and physical intensity, with the Sables set to open against Tonga on 4 July before facing the United States and Canada in successive weeks, all away from home, a demanding travel schedule that will stretch a squad still building cohesion. Their November fixtures will see them host Uruguay, Samoa and Chile in England, neutral venues that underline both the logistical realities of Zimbabwe rugby and the global nature of the competition, where preparation often extends beyond the pitch into travel planning and recovery management.
“Being placed alongside the European group, our opponents are in the Americas and Pacific region, which is exciting,” Benade said.
“Getting to play powerful nations like Tonga and Samoa is massive, while we know Uruguay and Chile are emerging strongly. The same goes for the USA and Canada.”
For Benade, the tournament is less about chasing results and more about understanding the true level required to compete consistently against teams that have spent years building professional structures, something Zimbabwe continues to piece together through a blend of local development and a growing diaspora of players abroad. It is about exposing the squad to different styles of play and seeing which combinations hold under pressure, which leaders step forward when momentum swings and which habits need to change before the stakes rise even higher.
Preparations are expected to begin in earnest next month when the squad regroups for camp, the first full assembly after a year apart, a reunion that will bring together players arriving from different competitions, conditioning programmes and tactical systems.
Coaches expect the early days to be as much about reconnecting as they are about drills, rebuilding trust and re-establishing shared standards that often drift when players spend long periods away from the national environment.
“It will be our first big test together after a year apart, but we will, hopefully, be well prepared for the examination,” Benade said.
“Our local programme is already underway, while our foreign-based boys are being monitored by our strength and conditioning coaches. We are looking to play our cross-border rivals Zambia and Botswana to provide pathways to international rugby for our home-based players. In June, we are planning to play Kenya and Namibia as we prepare for the Nations Cup.”
Those fixtures carry their own significance, not just as warm-up matches but as opportunities to build combinations and re-establish a shared identity, something every international side must constantly renew as players move between clubs and continents.
Younger players will get a chance to test themselves against seasoned campaigners, while senior figures will be expected to set the tone in both performance and preparation.
Beyond Zimbabwe’s own preparations, the early rounds of the Six Nations have offered a glimpse into the form of future World Cup opponents, with Wales drawing particular attention after a difficult run that has seen them lose 22 of their last 24 internationals, including a heavy defeat to England that deepened scrutiny on new coach Steve Tandy.
The numbers have sparked conversation among supporters who sense an opportunity when the two sides meet in Adelaide next year, yet inside the Sables camp there is little appetite for reading too much into another nation’s struggles, a reminder of how quickly fortunes can shift in international rugby.
“Wales entered the 2019 World Cup as the number one ranked team in the world and have a rugby pedigree and history to match any nation,” Benade said.
“They may be in a bit of a low patch at the moment, but I’m sure they will be back to their formidable selves in 15 months’ time.”
Zimbabwe will open their World Cup campaign against Wales on October 2 at Adelaide Oval before facing England and Tonga in the space of a week, a stretch that will demand precision, discipline and emotional control against some of the sport’s most established powers. For players who have spent years working towards this stage, the chance to test themselves against tier one nations carries both excitement and pressure in equal measure.
For now the focus remains on the quieter work, the film sessions, the conditioning updates, the conversations about culture and standards that rarely make headlines, but often shape outcomes long before kick-off.
Benade gathers his notes and heads inside, knowing the real work is only just beginning, months of detail and hard conversations that will shape how this group walks onto the biggest stage of their careers, carrying not just a game plan but the weight of expectation that comes with wearing Zimbabwe on their chests.
Online Reporter