adminHarare Bureau
ZIMBABWE Rugby Union selectors will today announce the names of players in the Cheetahs and Goshawks national sides that will represent the country in the Zimbabwe International Sevens Invitational.
Selectors had a tough time on Saturday afternoon when provincial teams converged at Harare Sports Club for trials.
The Sevens Invitational will be held at Harare Sports Club on the 14th and 15th March, with foreign teams coming in from Russia, Georgia, Hong Kong, South Africa and Zambia. Saturday’s trials were the last game time preparations for the national sides before they go into camp today.
ZRU director of coaching and selector Liam Middleton emphasised that the selection criteria this year will lead up to a stronger Goshawks side. Middleton said the spirit of competitiveness for Cheetahs jerseys by fringe players will inherently form a much stronger Cheetahs team.
“We are picking from four squads and I think this will be the strongest Goshawks squad, picking a strong Goshawks side means we also have a stronger Cheetahs side as players in the Goshawks side are also capable of playing in the Cheetahs.
“My concern is that last year and two to three years before, the Goshawks were not a breeding ground for the Cheetahs. It was a team where we were rallying up a couple of guys and saying can you play for us?, the Goshawks are now a real breeding ground for the Cheetahs.
“We will have some of our experienced players to bolster the young guys and it is going to be a very exciting Goshawks side,” said Middleton.
Middleton said that teams such as Hong Kong have had at least 12 months to prepare prior to the invitational compared to Zimbabwe who only started intense preparations in January.
For the Cheetahs, the invitational tournament will be an important preparatory tourney, as they will leave for Hong Kong the week afterward for the qualifying round of the World Sevens Series core membership.
The Cheetahs were drawn in Pool E in which they will face Russia, Chile and Barbados at the end of the month.
Head coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba is upbeat about the progress being made by his charges, especially the young players who are in the process of cementing places in the squad and their youthful drive is part of a long term process of rebuilding the squad.
This comes after a number of senior players such as Daniel Hondo retired and Jacque Leitao nearing the end of their careers. Their places have to be filled in by apt candidates of the same pedigree.
“Our rebuilding phase which will benefit the future outlook of the Cheetahs is still going on and is now at an advanced stage. The young players that we brought on are actually doing quite well and we have given them a bit of exposure and game time and I am happy with that.”
“So far the tournaments we’ve had and the one that is coming this week are a build up to the main event, which is the Hong Kong Sevens,” said Nyamutsamba.The Georgian team will be the first of the international teams to arrive in Harare this afternoon.
Online Reporter