Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
PADDY Zhanda Jnr stood like a proud father as the Zimbabwe Rugby union Interim Management Committee chairperson welcomed the Cheetahs in Newlands on Wednesday.
The Zimbabwe rugby sevens side capped off what has been a brilliant twelve months for the sport as they were crowned Africa Cup Sevens champions in Uganda last weekend. “These are very exciting times for us,” said Zhanda. I am proud of the boys and the technical team as we know how much blood, sweat and tears went into their preparations.
“So, it’s very nice when things work out the way they have. We are now the reigning fifteens and sevens African champions, so these are brilliant times for rugby in Zimbabwe,” he said.
The Cheetahs put up a near-perfect display in Uganda last week as they finished as the only unbeaten side in the eight-team tournament in Kampala, Uganda. The result means that Zimbabwe will be Africa’s representative on the HSBC SVNS circuit, according to the new format.
World Rugby has since revamped the format, dividing the teams into three categories in 2027.
At the top is Division 1, which will encompass eight men’s and women’s teams.In the men’s category, the teams include South Africa, New Zealand, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Fiji, France and the United States of America.
The women’s teams are Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA, France, Japan, Fiji and Spain.
Division 2 will include six teams that will play three events in Kenya, Uruguay and Brazil.
The top four teams at the end will earn promotion to the World Championship, Division 1.
Zimbabwe have earned their place in Division 3, formerly the Challenger Series. There, eight men’s and women’s teams, taken from the regional tournaments across the globe, will meet for a standalone tournament in Dubai.The top two teams will then earn promotion to Division 2. For their part, the Zimbabwe Rugby union have pledged their full support to the Cheetahs, who have a busy schedule ahead of them during the final quarter of the year.
The Cheetahs are expected to travel to Kenya next week for the Safari Sevens series, slated for October 10-11. The Cheetahs have already started their preparations for the Safari Sevens, with coach Fortune Chipendo hoping to get in as many sessions as possible before the team leaves for Kenya next week.“We want to work mostly on our defence,” said Chipendu. “We let in some easy tries in Uganda and we need to polish up on our defensive structure and tighten up things on that end.
“I loved the fight the guys put up, going down 12-nil in the final but coming back to win it all,” he said. The annual Safari Sevens rugby tournament returns next week, with the event slated for October 9-11 at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya. The event is expected to attract 12 men’s and six women’s teams.
