THANK YOU SABLES, OUR NATION IS VERY HAPPY

Eddie Chikamhi

Senior Sports Reporter

AFTER breaking a couple of jinxes to be crowned the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup, Sables captain Hilton Mudariki believes the future is even brighter, if they get more support, as they seek to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

The victorious Sables returned home yesterday to a rapturous welcome at the Robert Mugabe International Airport, where scores of ecstatic rugby supporters, families, friends and officials from the Zimbabwe Rugby Union came to receive them.

Mudariki, who was clutching the silverware, was in high spirits as the whole lobby broke into song and dance to celebrate the new African champions.

“This is an unreal feeling,” he said. “We are so excited to be back home; we are so excited to put smiles on people’s faces.

“This is what we play for. We play to represent the 16 million, we play to represent the national badge and then to come back home to see people so happy is so amazing and we are very happy.”

The Sables, led by their coach Piet Benade, proudly displayed the continental silverware they won in Uganda after thrashing North African opponents Algeria 29-3 in the final on Sunday.  They had also beaten hosts Uganda and bogey side Namibia along the way.

“We are hoping to get a couple of Tests in November, try to organise a couple of European teams to either come here or for us to go there.

“I know that the process has started but the key thing for us is to continue playing. We have seen what game time can do and we need a lot of that before next year.

“We are a quality team. I think you saw that. We have a great coaching stuff and quality guys that have come in and that’s older guys and younger guys that have stepped up to the plate.

“It’s a truly exciting couple of months that I have had. We know that we have a lot of hard work to do but we definitely enjoy this moment.

“Being Africa Cup champions sounds so good. We now need to keep our feet on the ground. There is a lot of work to be done, with the big one (final World Cup qualifier) next year.”