Sables move up on rugby rankings

Brandon Moyo

FOLLOWING their success at the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup, the Sables have moved two places up on the latest World Rugby Rankings.

Zimbabwe has leapfrogged Brazil and Belgium into position 28, having gone into the continental showdown ranked 30th in the world. The Sables have a rating of 56,03 points (gained 2,51).

This is now the Sables’ highest position since they were 26th in November 2015.

They are the third best placed African team on the world rankings after South Africa and Namibia. The Springboks maintained their pole position while the Welwitschias dropped one place to number 25.

Zimbabwe beat Algeria 29-3 in the final on Sunday to be crowned African champions. Along the way of becoming the best on the continent (after the Springboks), the Sables held on to a hard fought 22-20 win over Uganda in the quarter finals before going on to end a 23-year jinx over Namibia in the final, walloping them 32-10 in the semi-finals.

The recently concluded Africa Cup served as the first step towards qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. The final qualification stage is set for next year where they will compete against Namibia, Kenya and Algeria for the solitary ticket to Australia in 2027. – @brandon_malvin