Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Sables camp have welcomed the clarity that comes with the release of the 2027 Rugby World Cup fixtures that were announced on Monday.
Zimbabwe have been placed in Group C at the World Cup alongside England, Wales and Tonga.
They open their campaign with a tie against Wales at the Adelaide Oval on October 2, 2027.
The Sables will then play England on October 8, also in Adelaide, and then wrap up their group games with a clash against Tonga at Queensland Stadium four days later.
For their part, the Zimbabwe camp have quietly gone about their business as they continue their preparations for the global showcase.
And now, the players have since welcomed the clarity that comes with fixtures and venues being released.
Vice-captain Kudzai Mashawi, while he would have preferred Perth as a base of operation, believes that Zimbabwe playing most of their games in Adelaide makes very little difference given the bigger picture at play.
“Admittedly, we would have loved to play most of our games in Perth, given the higher number of Zimbabweans there, but we will be fine,” said Mashawi.
“The venue makes little difference given that we have Zimbabweans everywhere, and I know they will come in their numbers from all over the world.
“We don’t expect to be short of support given there are Zimbabweans living in Australia, those of Zimbabwean origin or heritage and some neutrals who like our play or just want to see us.
“It is up to us to show up, play with pride and fly our nation’s flag up high,” he said.
The Adelaide Oval is a 53 000-seater, located in the Parklands, South Australia.
The venue is predominantly used for cricket and Australian rules football but has also played host to rugby league and rugby union matches.
Zimbabwe will play Wales and England at the esteemed stadium on October 4 and 8, 2027.
The two high-profile matches, which will open Zimbabwe’s World Cup campaign have left the Sables’ camp both a little nervous and excited.
“Those are two tough games, but then again, there are no easy games at a World Cup,” said Mashawi.
“Clarity is important, like I said earlier, and we are just happy we now know the teams, fixtures and venues.
“Now is the time we start preparing.
“We are going to the World Cup and to those matches as clear underdogs with nothing to lose but something to gain.
“We want to play our best rugby, represent our country with pride and, hopefully, market the sport here,’’ he said.
While time is fast running out, Zimbabwe will, at least, get the opportunity to fine-tune their preparedness when they take part in the World Rugby Nations Cup.
The new tournament was established for the specific purpose of aiding lower-ranked countries in their preparations for the World Cup.
World Rugby, last month, released the fixtures for that tourney with Zimbabwe placed in the Afro-EuroAsia pool alongside Georgia, Portugal, Hong Kong, Romania and Spain.
The other pool, the Americas-Pacific pool, will include Canada, Chile, Samoa, Tonga, the US and Uruguay.
According to the tournament format, each team will play all the sides in the opposite pool across the summer and autumn international windows in July and November.
The Sables open their Nations Cup campaign with an all-important tie against Tonga on July 4. They will then play the US and Canada on July 11 and 18, respectively, to complete their summer window fixtures.
The matches against Tonga and the US will be played in the US and then wrap the first round away to Canada.
All their home matches will be held in England with the Sables expected to host Uruguay, Samoa and Chile in November during the second window.
“The Nations Cup is a Godsent,” said Mashawi.
“It will give us an opportunity to assess where we are and where we need to be before the World Cup begins.
“If you look at the teams we are going to play, they all have different styles and strengths that will sharpen our skills more.
