Online Reporter
Brandon Moyo, Sports Reporter
Many will remember the name Denford Mutangamira, who was part of the Sables Class of 2014 that narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2015 Rugby World Cup after finishing second to Namibia and subsequently losing to Russia in a play-off.
More than 10 years later, Mutangamira has returned to the Sables fold, this time on the other side of the middle of the park as part of Pieter Benade’s technical team. The legendary Mutangamira was brought in by the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) as a scrum specialist earlier this week.
He is set to bring a wealth of experience to the Sables team as they prepare for the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup, which serves as the direct qualifier to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The tournament is scheduled for Uganda in July.
The move to bring in the 40-year-old has been a welcome development, signalling ZRU’s aggressive technical rebuild. Mutangamira is set to bring his scrum expertise to enhance the Sables’ forward pack and will be working alongside forwards and scrum coach Joel Carew and his assistant, Kevin Nqindi.
Speaking to Zimpapers Sports Hub, Mutangamira said it is an honour, once again, to represent Zimbabwe. He added that, from his experience, preparations must be top-notch and things need to be done differently — something Benade is already implementing.
“It’s always an honour to serve your country in any capacity. I am glad that I have been roped into the Sables to help out in that area. Well, things have to be done differently, and Benade is already doing that, which is great. It’s about paying attention to detail and being strategic; our preparation has to be top-notch,” he said.
Mutangamira also expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Sables’ front row last year but believes that this year, the team needs to take it up a gear and work harder on physical, technical, and mental strength.
The draw for the Africa Cup took place last month, with the Sables placed in a pool with some of Africa’s top teams — Kenya, Morocco, and Uganda. Zimbabwe enters the tournament, scheduled for 20–28 July, as defending champions, starting their campaign at the quarter-final stage against Morocco, the winners of the Africa Cup Repechage.
The second quarter-final in Pool A will feature a blockbuster derby between Kenya and Uganda. The winners of these two matches will meet in the first semi-final.
In the other pool, Namibia will kick off their campaign against Senegal, while Algeria and Ivory Coast will square off in the other last-eight match.
As defending champions, Zimbabwe are the top seed for this year’s tournament, having won the Africa Cup for the first time in 12 years.
Mutangamira said the Sables players will need to be mentally sharp, not back down, and fight on.
With the Sables likely to face Namibia in the late stages of the tournament, Mutangamira said they have what it takes to match the Welwitschias upfront, as the team has been working hard.
“High-pressure situations are real. Like I said, our mental strength will be key, we should never back down to anyone. We keep fighting till the tank is empty. This is one area the coach has spoken about, so it’s a work in progress — we will get there.
“Well, I believe we can match them (Namibia) upfront. The boys have been working so hard. It’s all about being confident and applying ourselves. It’s not going to be easy, but we will prepare to the best of our ability,” said Mutangamira. – @brandon_malvin
