Tinashe Kusema-Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe senior rugby team had their first training session yesterday ahead of their World Rugby Nations Cup match against Samoa this weekend.
The Sables are currently based in the cathedral city of Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England.
The city has a population of roughly 369,450 and currently stands as the 26th most populous district in England.
It is also set to play host to Zimbabwe’s first home game of the 2026 World Rugby Nations Cup when they take on a new-look Samoan side on Saturday.
Piet Benade is currently going through his final preparations for that game after having been joined by his foreign-based stars, three of whom — Edward Sigauke, Farai Mudariki and Cleopas Kundiona — are based in England.
However, in the midst of all the drills, crunch tackles and final preparations, one face stood out like a sore thumb, and that was Brian Makamure.
The 36-year-old is no stranger to the Sables, having served loyally to the team’s cause for over a decade.
He was also part of Zimbabwe’s two Rugby Africa Cup campaigns in 2024 and 2025, the latter securing their qualification for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Unfortunately, Makamure decided to call it a day soon after last year’s Africa Cup campaign.
However, he has since remained useful and currently serves as the team’s scrum coach. Makamure also happens to have a strong link to the United Kingdom as he was born in England and spent his formative years there.
The Zimpapers Sports Hub caught up with the beefy former Zimbabwe international shortly before the Sables’ departure for England, during which he opened up on his long-awaited homecoming.
Surreal was the word he used, as it has been almost two decades since he went back to his second home.
“I think at the base of it, it’s going to be nice to reconnect with a lot of friends and family that are on that side,” said Makamure.
“I do have a lot of family that is on that side, but obviously on the job front there’s a lot of feeling around it.
“This is largely due to the fact that on my travels, when I was still in high school, it was all for rugby.
“I was fortunate enough to venture into playing rugby in the UK in high school, and I’m very grateful to the schools, the institutions that I was under.
“I am also grateful to my parents for allowing me and trusting me to do that.
“It is strange, surreal even, to be going back, and I don’t know why it has taken this long to go back to the UK.
“It does feel nice though,” he said.
Born September 19, 1990, in St Albans, England, Makamure had quite the nomadic upbringing, bouncing around from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
He did his primary and secondary education at North Park Primary School and Prince Edward before attending college at St Andrew’s and Brighton College in South Africa and Brighton, England, respectively.
North Park is the school that first introduced him to rugby, after which he never looked back.
He then went on to play for Prince Edward, Brighton and Sussex County and St Andrew’s first team.
Internationally, however, he has been a loyal son, plying his trade with the Zimbabwe Under-19 (2008-9), Under-20 (2010) and the Sables (2013-2025).
Now, he aims to play his part to best prepare the Zimbabwe senior rugby team for their biggest assignment yet — the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
And that starts with the Nations Cup.
The Sables have not had the best start to the new tournament, created to give the World Cup participants competitive game time.
The Sables started off the tournament with three defeats against Tonga (36-26), the United States of America (32-15) and Canada (21-19) during the July international window. Now, they are slated to take on Samoa (November 7) and Uruguay (November 14) in the United Kingdom.
They will then travel to France for a date against Chile at the Stade Chanzy, Angouleme.
“It’s always exciting to be back as a team,” he said.
“The guys are geared up; they have been working hard.
“The win against Namibia was a great motivation and a big morale booster for us to go into this campaign with a win.
“Beating Namibia was just an added bonus.
“So the mood is good, the energy is in the right place, and the guys are geared up to give it a good go,” he said.
Makamure has urged the Sables fans in the United Kingdom to come in their numbers.
“I think the world is actually going to be shocked,” he said.
“We had good crowds in the US, and I hope it will be double or triple that in the UK.
“To the fans there, we are coming in hot. We are going to give it our best, and we believe that you guys, as the 24th player supporting us, you’re going to get us over the line. “So let’s get geared up, let’s get to all the games, make sure we sell them all out and give the world something to remember all the way until we get to Australia 2027.
“Then we give them a real show at the world stage,” he said.
