Sables need adequate preps — Shone

Innocent Kurira

Zimpapers Sports Hub

FORMER Zimbabwe Rugby Union vice-president Martin Shone feels that adequate preparations will be key for the senior national team’s quest to qualify for the 2027 World Cup and end their more than three decades from the game’s show-piece.

The Sables were handed a tough qualification route during a draw conducted for this edition of the Africa Cup, set for Uganda in July.

This year’s continental tourney, competed for by the best eight teams, is also doubling as the final qualifier for the World Cup in Australia in two years.

Winners of the 2025 Africa Cup will secure an automatic ticket, while the runners-up from the tourney will have to undergo a more rigorous play-off qualifier, better known as Repechage, against runners-up from other continents.

According to the draw, coach Piet Benade’s Sables will face Morocco in the quarter-final while the winner of the other last eight showdown between Kenya and hosts Uganda awaits them in the semi-final.

The four teams make up Pool A.

Pool B includes pre-tournament favourites Namibia, who will begin their campaign with a date against Senegal.

The other pool quarter-final will pit Algeria against Côte d’Ivoire. Shone, who was one of two ZRU vice presidents under the leadership of Aaron Jani, considers the group to be a challenging one.

“It’s going to be tough,’’ Shone said.

“These are games determined by small margins, and it’s good that the coaches have some time to work out their combinations and every other aspect of the game.

“At this stage, there is no room for error, and adequate preparations are key.

“We can’t afford to be complacent or underestimate any team, no matter the rankings.

“Every match will be a battle, and that’s where our preparation and focus will make all the difference,’’ he said.

Shone, however, backed Benade’s men to excel.

“I have all the faith in the Zimbabwe team, and I believe they have what it takes to make it.

“The stakes are incredibly high, but we have got the talent. I am certain that with the right preparation and mentality, we will be standing tall at the end of this competition.

“However, it’s not just about skill; it’s about mentality as well. We have to have the right mentality. The pressure can be intense, but I know this team can handle it.

“I think the current crop of players is hungry for success. I am confident that they can rise to the occasion.” Although Namibia may be pre-tournament favourites on the basis of regularly qualifying for the World Cup, Zimbabwe are the top seeds at this year’s tournament by virtue of winning last year’s Africa Cup.

Morocco, on their part, are fresh from battling their way into the continent’s top eight via a 26-12 victory over fellow North Africans Tunisia in a Repechage final on Sunday at Pere Jego Stadium in Casablanca.

The Sables, using the bulk of the locally based players, including skipper Hilton Mudariki, have already set their preparations into motion in Harare.