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Mehluli Sibanda , Senior Sports Reporter
AFTER weeks of training from various places, the Zimbabwe senior national men’s rugby team players gather in Stellenbosch, South Africa as they prepare for the Quadrangular Series to be held in two weeks’ time.
The tournament will be held in South Africa at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sports, with the other teams to take part being Namibia, Brazil and Kenya.
World Rugby organised the tournament as a way of providing suitable high performance competition in November for the highest ranked African sides which will include an Invitational side from Brazil.
Namibia is the highest ranked African country outside South Africa, as they are the 25th best team in the world. Brazil is the second best team to take part in that tournament at number 27, followed by Zimbabwe (34) and Kenya (35).
The format of play will be semi-finals on 14 November and the finals six days later. Namibia will square off with Kenya with Zimbabwe taking on Brazil. Winners of the two matches will square off in the final while the losers meet in the third place play-off.
Sables coach, Brendan Dawson will use the matches in South Africa to get his troops ready for next year’s Rugby Africa Cup final qualifier.
Zimbabwe face Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals and if they win, they might have Namibia waiting for them in the semis if the Namibians do make it past Burkina Faso in the last eight.
Winners of next year’s Rugby Africa Cup to be played in France will secure automatic qualification to the 2023 Rugby World Cup to be held in the European country while runners-up from the Rugby Africa Cup 2022 will have to make do with a place in the final qualification tournament to make one final attempt to qualify for Rugby World Cup 2023.
Sables players start arriving from tomorrow with the last batch to arrive being those based in France who have club commitments. The Sables have a friendly lined up against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday before they return to Stellenbosch to continue preparations for the quadrangular series.
From the squad announced early this month, backline player Boyd Rouse is the only player not available.
Dawson will finally have utility back Tapiwa Mufura after the Pumas’ of South Africa star was not available for the Rugby Africa pool D matches against Burkina Faso at home in July.
Mafura has been on the Sables radar for years after his brilliant exploits for the North West University Pukke in the 2018 Varsity Cup, which saw him being named as one of the five best players of the tournament. He was outstanding for the Pukke as they reached the final that year which they lost 40-7 to the Maties.
Sables squad
Forwards: Tyron Fagan, Deanne Makoni, Royal Mwale, George Saungweme, Tapiwa Tsomondo, Cleopas Kundiona, Sean Beevor, Biselele Tshamala, Godfrey Muzanargwo, Aiden Burnett, Tonderai Chiwambutsa, Charles Gamhiwa, Lawrence Cleminson, Godwin Mangenje, Victor Mapunga.
Backs: Hilton Mudariki, Dudlee White-Sharpley, Keith Chiwara, Takudzwa Chieza, Darrel Makwasha, Takudzwa Kumadiro, Riaan O’Neill, Brandon Mudzekenyedzi, Shingirai Katsvere, Martin Mangongo, Tapiwa Mafura. — @Mdawini_29
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