Zimbabwe rugby player extends contract with French side

Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter

ZIMBABWE international rugby player, Shayne Makombe has extended his contract with French side, Rugby Club Compiegne by another one year.

Makombe has been with the third tier club since 2017 where he regularly plays at outside centre and sometimes on the wing. The 27-year Sables and Cheetahs player feels that he is growing his proficiency wise at the French club which plays in a league that is three ranks down from the Top 14.

“I am into my third year at Rugby Club Compiegne, I’ve extended my contract with one more year. I am playing regularly at outside centre and occasionally on the wing. I like it because I am growing my skill set more. We are three levels from the Top 14,’’ Makombe said.

Makombe is part of the Sables team taking part in the Victoria Cup. He scored two tries in Zimbabwe’s 31-26 triumph over Uganda in Kampala last Saturday but did not play against Kenya at Hartsfield on Saturday since he withdrew from the team for personal reasons.

With the French rugby season starting from the end of this month, Makombe is heading off to France at the beginning of September since he will be the best man at his friend’s wedding in Cape Town, South Africa.

“I am going back to France early September after my best friend’s wedding in Cape Town where I will be best man. The season is really long and we start from August/ September and it ends in June. I am based in Compiegne, a northern town in the Parisian region,’’ he said.

A University of KwaZulu-Natal graduate, Makombe moved to France in 2017 having represented UKZN in the Varsity Shield.

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