Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo, [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) and the Sables Trust, have announced the official retirement of Shayne Makombe from Zimbabwe Rugby as a player.
The 33-year-old Makombe has been an integral team player of the Zimbabwe Sables and The Cheetahs since 2011.
Throughout his illustrious 13-year career, he achieved many milestones which include participation in the Zimbabwe U19s Safari 7s from 2009-2010, six Africa Cups and one 7s World Cup tournament in San Francisco, 2018.
Makombe, who has been based in France since 2017, will continue to be dedicated to rugby, as a coach and co-ordinator.
In a statement from ZRU, Makombe will now be a satellite coach responsible for Europe based Zimbabwean players. In France, he has also been appointed as manager and head of Girls Rugby at Compiegne Rugby Club.
To extend his coaching-experience, he is also studying towards his Level Three qualification at the prestigious French National Rugby Centre in Marcoussis, Paris.
“In his next chapter, he will contribute to Zimbabwe rugby as a satellite coach responsible for Europe-based Zimbabwean players. As a former national player, Shayne would like to give back to the Zimbabwean rugby community, and organises the yearly Elite Christmas Rugby camp which was established in 2023 and, which will also be extended to Matabeleland in the coming months.
We wish him all the best in his future endeavours and we have no doubt that he will continue to make an impact in the rugby community in Zimbabwe and beyond,” read the statement from ZRU.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s new centre Kyle Godwin visited his old primary school, St Michael’s, in Harare last Friday.
Godwin — a former one cap Wallaby — retraced his roots to his birth country for the first time in close to 25 years after he was cleared by World Rugby to play for the Sables.
He arrived in the country last week and upon his arrival, Godwin immediately joined the Sables camp that is preparing for a tour to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and South Korea. The tour is a part of the team’s preparations for next year’s Africa Cup which serves as the direct qualifier to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The team will first travel to Dubai for a friendly match against the UAE national team on November 5 at the Sevens Stadium.
Following this, the Sables will head to South Korea for an alignment camp, where they will also play two matches pencilled in for November 7 and 15.
Godwin was an Australian professional rugby union player who made his international debut for the Wallabies against France in 2016.
He plays for French club Lyon OU Rugby in the Top 14 competition and has previously represented the Western Force and Brumbies in Super Rugby, where he made his debut in 2012 against the Queensland Reds in Perth.
Over his career, he has played a total of 76 Super Rugby games. Additionally, Godwin was part of the Australia under-20 team that competed in the 2012 IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa.
As the Sables gear up for their November tour, the addition of a player of Godwin’s calibre is sure to energise the squad and enhance their prospects on the international stage.
– @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter