Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe senior rugby technical team have given the earliest indication of when the rest of the country can expect to see the Sables at full strength.
Since Zimbabwe clinched their 2027 Rugby World Cup berth, a lot of the talk has been about the number of the diaspora players who could come in and feature for Zimbabwe at the global rugby showcase in Australia next year.
However, so far, only Ian Prior and Kyle Godwin have actually debuted and played for Zimbabwe, while Stormers’ lock, Gary Porter, is expected to follow suit soon.
Now there seems to be an update as to when and where the Sables can walk out to the park at full strength. The World Rugby Nations Cup opener against Tonga in the United States of America on July 4 will probably be the earliest.
According to the technical team, most clubs are likely to only release their players when the international window opens up.
“I think as we head into June and July, the squad is going to start shaping up,” said assistant coach Ricky Chirengende.
“That is when clubs will start releasing players for the international break, and we can start taking stock to see what we have and which players we can use. “In terms of time-lines, the calendar is still being finalised but it promises to be a busy June and July, probably the busiest we have had in a couple of years,” he said.
Coach Piet Benade, however, intends to use the next couple of fixtures to assess his locally-based players.
A few foreign players can still be released by their clubs between now and July, especially as and when their respective seasons wrap up.
So far, hooker Giodarno Sarpo has been released from his Italian club, Pesaro, and the Zimbabwe forward was part of the recent tour to South Africa.
Under the Zimbabwe A banner, the Sables’ ensemble played two matches in South Africa, winning both their clashes against the Northern Region invitational (59-0) and Louis Trichardt (40-20). It was a tour Chirengende has described as eye-opening, especially as it provided the coaching staff with an opportunity to look at all the players they have at their disposal within the local structures.
“It was a good tour,” said Chirengende.
“We took a very young team, and it was an opportunity for us to see how they cope playing against oppositions that they have never seen before.
“Prior to that we had just done a few scrimmage matches between the Sables red and green and the Zimbabwe possibles and probables. “These matches gave the players a platform to see how they will perform against a competitive team,” he said.
On the actual matches, Chirengende said, “I think the Louis Trichardt side did ask us a couple of tough questions.
“They scrummed very well, they had a decent maul and they were very physical in every facet of the game.
“It was a good way to see which guys measure up, especially as we head into a busy couple of months.
“This was a successful tour as the objectives were not to win but to have a look at different players and see if they answer to some of the questions that we had in terms of their ability and in terms of how they could handle the pressure,” he said.
Chirengende was also impressed with how some of the younger players fared.
In particular, the duo of Polite Phiri and Tatenda Kamubvumbi had a good outing, winning Player of the Match accolades in the game against Northern Region invitational and Louis Trichardt respectively.
Chirengende said that the games also provided the technical team with areas that still need polishing.
“Work-ons are always there, I think there is still a need to be better in our set-pieces our decision-making needs improvement and we have to work hard to keep our unforced errors down. “If we look at rugby and the level we are going to play at, a couple of things are non-negotiable.
“We need to be good at set-pieces to be defensively sound and kick well too.
“I would say we still need to brush up on all those areas.
“The positives are that the younger guys played very well with Polite Phiri quite impressive in the first game.
“Kamubvumbi also had an outstanding game in the second match,” he said.
The Sables still have plenty of time to polish up on their games.
The team has been given a two-week break before they regroup and start preparing for their next match against Zambia.
Zimbabwe and Zambia will resume their rivalry over two legs with the first match slated for April 25 at Ha-rare Sports Club.
They are also scheduled to play Botswana after which they will take part in the returning Rugby Africa Victoria Cup against Uganda, Namibia and Kenya.
The preparations will wrap up with a match against South Africa A, a game slated to act as a curtain raiser for the clash between the Springboks and the Barbarians at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on June 28.
“I think for the next two weeks, we are going to give the boys some rest all the while working on our strength and conditioning,” said Chirengende.
“When we get back, we will then start preparing for Zambia.
“Again, for the Zambian games, there are things that we’re targeting.
