Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
MICHAEL KUMBIRAI’s journey to the Sables did not begin with a phone call from Zimbabwe, or even with his arrival in Harare last week.
It started much earlier, in South Africa, in a rugby system built to produce Springboks, in changing rooms where every young player chased the same dream, and in a career that seemed to be moving in that direction until distance, perspective and heritage pulled him another way.
Now, after years of near-misses, delays and badly timed injuries, the 29-year-old prop is finally here. And he is not hiding from the weight of the choice he has made.
“The Sables have always done well to keep in touch with players and I’m extremely grateful for that,” said Kumbirai upon his arrival.
“Growing up in South Africa, with the rugby culture there and playing in teams with only South African players, everyone shared the same goal and that was to one day become a Springbok.
“It took me moving to France and playing with other international players from different nations to see what a blessing the Sables opportunity is to me. It has given me the chance to represent my family and our heritage.”
Kumbirai flew in from his French base last week and joined camp ahead of Zimbabwe’s double-header against Zambia in the latest instalment of the Battle of the Zambezi.
The first match was played yesterday at the Machinery Exchange Grounds at Harare Sports Club, with the return fixture scheduled for Hartsfield this weekend.
For Sables coach Piet Benade, these matches offer a chance to assess another option as Zimbabwe builds towards the Nations Cup and the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
But for Kumbirai, they mean something more personal. They mark the end of a wait that has dragged on since 2022.
“I committed to the Sables in 2022 and have just been unfortunate with injuries up until this point to not have been able to be a part of the group yet,” he said.
That delay has only made the story richer.
Born on May 6, 1996 in Arcadia, Pretoria, Kumbirai is the son of Joyce and Peter Kumbirai.
His mother is a retired business executive and his father is a successful orthopaedic surgeon.
He grew up with three siblings — Peter, Shamiso and Tafadzwa — and moved through some of South Africa’s respected learning institutions, from Waterkloof House Prep to St Alban’s College, then the University of Cape Town, where he studied BCom Management Studies.
Kumbirai later attended NEOMA Business School for a master’s degree in Key Account Management. But long before the degrees, there was a big boy choosing between hockey and rugby.
“I got into rugby at the age of nine or 10, during my primary school days,” he said.
“We had an option of hockey and rugby for our winter sports and, largely due to my size, I chose the latter. Also, growing up in South Africa, rugby is a big deal, so it was a no-brainer.
“It was, however, not my first love as I always wanted to be a professional soccer player up until I was about 13.
“I was a pretty good goalkeeper; I love and play a little football to this day. I am also a huge Chelsea fan.”
That football side of him has not disappeared.
Kumbirai speaks easily about FIFA, chess and his dislike of Arsenal’s title push. But rugby is what claimed him. By the age of 16, he was already around 120 kilogrammes, and the game had chosen its man.
He rose through South Africa’s competitive schoolboy system and later sharpened his game at the Sharks Academy and Western Province, environments that helped shape both his rugby and his thinking.
Those years also brought him into contact with one of the biggest influences on his career — Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira.
In Kumbirai’s world, Beast was never just another star.
“Beast is a guy who I model myself on, and every prop at some stage has been called Beast and liked it,” he says.
“He has set a great example. It is a real achievement to play over 100 games for the Springboks and I would love to graduate to a higher level myself one day.”
He got to train with Mtawarira in 2018 when Western Province worked with the Springboks ahead of their France tour.
The connection remained strong enough for it to matter when the Sharks signed Kumbirai in 2020.
At that stage, the script looked obvious. He had grown up inside South Africa’s rugby machine, had the build, the pathway and the role model, and the Springbok dream made perfect sense.
Then France changed the conversation. Kumbirai joined Soyaux-Angoulême in 2021 after leaving the Sharks and played a key role as the club secured promotion from Nationale to Pro D2 in 2022.
But more than the rugby, it was the dressing room that shifted something in him.
Away from the South African bubble, he found himself among players who carried different flags and different kinds of pride.
“When I first arrived in Angoulême, I became very good friends with Iñaki Ayarza, a Chilean who was part of their squad when they qualified for their first World Cup in 2023,” said Kumbirai.
“I got to see him go through that whole process and see how much pride it brought to his family and home nation. It then dawned on me that I had a similar opportunity in front of me with the Sables.
“There was also another teammate, Irakli Tskhadadze, who had played for Georgia against the Springboks before the British and Irish Lions Tests in South Africa.
“Georgia put up a good fight that game. I didn’t believe he played until he pulled up the game on YouTube. For him to now be my teammate, someone that played against the Springboks, was wild.
“It’s not an experience most South African rugby players get to have, because most teams are composed of only local guys.”
That was the turning point.
The farther he moved from the South African rugby culture, the clearer Zimbabwe became.
By 2022, the Sables were no longer a side option. They were the goal.
And part of that shift came through conversations with two men who know exactly what it means to carry Zimbabwean rugby on their shoulders — Hilton and Farai Mudariki.
“I had a chat with Hilton and Farai Mudariki sometime in 2022 about joining the Sables after having been exposed to various other international players in France,” he said.
“They were both really supportive and encouraged me to commit to the Sables.”
The call-up could easily have come earlier. Kumbirai was already being spoken about as far back as 2022, around the Rugby Africa Cup and the 2023 World Cup qualifiers in France.
Last year, he again missed out, with the Sables technical team going with Victor Mpunga, Tyran Fagan, Zvikomborero Chimoto, Cleopas Kundiona, Brian Makamure and Bornwell Gwinji.
But selection was only part of it. Injuries kept stepping in.
“Injuries have been like a career low for me, the timing of them to be specific,” said Kumbirai. “I missed out on last year’s Africa Cup because I broke my ankle.
“I also missed a Currie Cup final because of back problems. I have missed out on a lot because of injuries in general, badly timed injuries.”
That is why his arrival now carries more feeling than hype.
This is not a player casually drifting into the Zimbabwe setup. This is someone who committed years ago, watched chances disappear, watched Zimbabwe rise, and had to stay patient while his body kept betraying him.
He watched from a distance as the Sables conquered Africa and booked their place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia last year. And when that breakthrough came, he felt it.
“The Sables qualifying for the World Cup was special,” he said. “I have followed the team for some time now, so I know to an extent what the boys and everyone else involved have put in.
“To see it all pay off was fantastic. I’m proud to be a part of the group and contribute where I can.
“For now, I am focused on giving my best and adding value to the group.”
The bigger truth is that Kumbirai arrives at a time when Zimbabwean rugby is no longer surviving on memory and hope.
The Sables are heading to a World Cup. Standards are rising. Competition is harder. Every call-up has to mean something.
