Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Sables are going back to Hartsfield, but this time it won’t just be about memories and nostalgia, it will be about whether this team is truly ready for what lies ahead after booking their place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
There is a buzz of excitement currently doing rounds within the Zimbabwe rugby community following the news that the Sables are set to break their eight-year wait to return to their ceremonial home early next month.
As part of their World Rugby Nations Cup preparations, Zimbabwe will face Zambia over two legs, with the first match set for April 25 at Harare Sports Club’s Machinery Exchange Grounds before they head to Bulawayo for the return leg at Hartsfield on May 2.
On paper, it looks like a routine build-up fixture. But in reality, it will say a lot about where this team really is.
“This is a very significant step in the right direction, not only for the sport but also for Sables coach Piet Benade,” said Godwin “Jaws” Murambiwa.
“As someone within the rugby structures, I feel it is important that our qualification for the Rugby World Cup not be just a once off affair.
“We have to build on this momentum and make sure that we continue on this trajectory going forward and make qualification a regular thing. The Sables have done well to spread the sport countrywide, after playing a couple of games in Mutare and now Bulawayo.
“The message that this sends is that there is no region of the country too small or out of reach for the team.
“It also allows more and more rugby fans to watch, enjoy and celebrate their Sables,” he said.
While the Zimbabwe Rugby Union Interim Management Committee have made it clear they want to take the game across the country, this particular stop in Bulawayo carries more weight than most.
Hartsfield is not just another venue.
It is the traditional home of Zimbabwe rugby, a place that has carried some of the biggest moments in the country’s history.
It was there in 1949 that the then Rhodesia side stunned the touring New Zealand All Blacks 10-8 in what has come to be known as the “Miracle at Hartsfield”.
That result still stands as one of the most famous upsets in world rugby, the only time the All Blacks have ever lost to a non-Test nation.
Over the years, the ground has hosted some of the game’s biggest names, with teams such as Wales, Scotland, Russia, Namibia and the British Barbarians all having graced the venue.
The battles against Namibia, in particular, turned Hartsfield into a theatre of fierce rivalry, with generations of Zimbabwe’s finest players leaving everything on that turf.
Murambiwa knows that feeling all too well.
“I have many bittersweet memories at Hartsfield, from my schoolboy days playing Falcon College to my club playing days and matches against Old Miltonians and Panthers,” he said.
“However, my fondest memories were back in 2001 when I was appointed Sables coach and we beat Namibia at Hartsfield.
“It was a tough and gruelling encounter, which we won 27-26.
“It was Zimbabwe’s first victory in something like 10 years and I think Namibia took their lessons to heart as they came back the following year and beat us in a World Cup qualifier.”
Former Sables captain and coach Brendan Dawson also carries his own memories of the famous ground and is delighted to see rugby returning to Bulawayo.
“Hartsfield is a magnificent venue and it is great news to get some rugby action back here,” said Dawson.
“The ground has hosted many great nations and at different age-groups with some of the top sides being the British Barbarians, Scotland, Wales, Russia and, of course, Namibia.
“I have too many memories to choose from as Hartsfield has been my home at regional and national level.
“I also played one of my last games there back in 2001 against Namibia.
“However, this is not about me but the rugby fans here. And it is great that the union is spreading the game countrywide.
“It gives the people here a chance to celebrate and watch the Sables in action.
“Who knows, it might even inspire a couple young lads to try out for the Sables one day,” he said.
The last time the Sables played at Hartsfield was back in 2018, when they fell 58-28 to Namibia.
A lot has changed since then.
Zimbabwe have since turned the tables on their old rivals, beating Namibia in back-to-back Rugby Africa Cup campaigns in 2024 and 2025, including the 30-28 victory in last year’s final that sealed their ticket to Australia.
