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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) says the ongoing quadrangular Test series in Stellenbosch, South Africa, is an opportunity for the Sables to learn before the side continues with its journey to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The Stellenbosch tournament is run by World Rugby and is aimed at providing suitable high-performance competition for participating teams.
After beating Brazil 24-22 in their opening encounter, the Sables are back in action on Saturday to face old rivals Namibia in the competition final. Namibia beat Kenya 60-24 for a place in the final.
“The team is doing well. We are trying our best as a union to get the team to the level they should be at. Our next game is against Namibia and that should be an exciting game. Namibia, just like us, are going through a rebuilding phase.
“I believe we should stand a chance against them. We came down to win the competition, but if we don’t, we would have learnt,” said ZRU vice-president Martin Shone.
Following their victory over Brazil, the Sables moved from number 34 to 32 on the World Rugby rankings.
The game against Namibia will present another opportunity for the Sables to gain further ground in the rankings.
The Sables are using the quadrangular series to prepare for next year’s Rugby Africa Cup in France, which serves as Africa’s final qualifier for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Winners of the 2022 Rugby Africa Cup will secure automatic qualification for the 2023 Rugby World Cup to be held in France, while runners-up also have an opportunity to qualify via the repêchage. – @innocentskizoe
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