adminSenior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe national Sevens rugby team, the Cheetahs are on the right track to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil after a good display at the Confederation of African Rugby Sevens staged at Prince Edward High School in Harare last weekend.
Zimbabwe took third spot at the CAR Africa Cup Sevens which secured them a place at next year’s Hong Kong HSBC World Sevens Series qualifying tournament where they will get another opportunity to become a core member of the World Rugby World Sevens main circuit.
With South Africa and Kenya having nothing much to play for in the Africa Cup save for grooming their next international stars, Zimbabwe’s third place finish in the regional competition meant that they are the highly ranked African side after those two countries going into next year’s Olympic qualifiers.
The top four teams at the conclusion of the HSBC World Sevens Series season which comes to an end in May next year will gain an automatic entry into the Olympics where Sevens rugby makes its debut in Brazil.
The only African side with a realistic chance of being among the four that qualify without any hassles for the Olympics is the Neil Powell coached South Africa.
With Kenya unlikely to finish in the top four, the east Africans will be forced to attempt to make the grade via the Africa Cup which poses a serious threat to Zimbabwe’s quest to make it to Brazil.
Cheetahs’ coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba pointed out that they were preparing to face Kenya and South Africa if the two countries do not secure an automatic ticket to Brazil.
During the Africa Cup, Nyamutsamba had to do without some players he had wanted to see in action who however could not make it.
The South Africa based quartet of Guy Cronje, Biselele Tshamala, Lambert Groenewald and Lenience Tambwera could not make it after picking injuries. Hilton Mudariki who recently made a switch to South Africa from the United Kingdom could not be released by his club in time for camp.
The Cheetahs coach said he would be approaching his bosses at the Zimbabwe Rugby Union to organise more tournaments for Cheetahs to participate in next year as part of the preparations for the Africa Cup in September at a venue yet to be named.
Nyamutsamba said it was evident that lack of tournaments is affecting the team as shown by their struggling to overcome Nigeria and Uganda as well as a loss to a second string Kenyan side.
Prior to the Africa Cup, the Zimbabwe Cheetahs last played an international tournament in Hong Kong in March where they lost out in the quarter-finals to Italy which brought an end to their hopes of playing in this season’s HSCBC World Sevens Series.
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derick.khumalo