adminTHE Zimbabwe Rugby Union is highly unlikely to accept an invitation from their Namibian counterparts to send the Zimbabwe Sables to play against Namibia in Windhoek on 1 November.
ZRU president John Falkenberg last Friday said the Namibian Rugby Union had not yet sent in their request which even if they do will be turned down because ZRU cannot afford the luxury of sending the Brendan Dawson coached Sables to Namibia for just one match.
In the past Namibia have held a triangular series at the end of the year where they invited Zimbabwe in 2012 and 2013. That three-nation event has, however, been shifted to July next year as Namibia, who are preparing for the 2015 International Rugby Board Rugby World Cup in England try to get as much game time ahead of the tournament.
Early this month, NRU sent out a fixture list, which has 13 matches as part of their preparatory programme for the World Cup. The Danie Vermeulen coached Namibian national rugby team have planned a match against either Zimbabwe or Germany in Windhoek on 1 November before they embark on an overseas tour which will see them play against Canada in North Wales on 7 November, the French Barbarians on 14 November and Portugal seven days later.
Falkenberg said strangely the Namibians, despite lining up Zimbabwe as a possible opponent for the 1 November once off Test match have not yet sent in any request as yet and if it does come through it will not be accepted as it would be too late unless the Namibians agree to play the match in Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile, the ZRU is delighted after Zimbabwe was awarded the rights to host the 2014 Confederation of African Rugby Africa Cup Sevens. The tournament which is set for Harare on 29 November and 30 November serves as a qualifier for the IRB Hong Kong Sevens World Series core team qualifier which itself gives an opportunity to none core teams to attain full member status. The Zimbabwe Cheetahs coached by Gilbert Nyamutsamba would be joined by Senegal, Ivory Coast, Namibia, Uganda, Nigeria, Tunisia, Madagascar, South Africa, Kenya, Zambia and Morocco.
With South Africa and Kenya already core members, Zimbabwe have not had any problems in the Africa Cup as they have always gone on to represent Africa in Hong Kong together with Tunisia.
In another rugby related development, ZRU director of rugby Liam Middleton last Friday ditched the national rugby governing body less than a year into the job to take up a post as head coach of the Canada national sevens rugby team.
Middleton, coach of the Zimbabwe Cheetahs from 2004 up to 2010 was in October last year appointed as the ZRU director of rugby. His role was under scrutiny from the start with the Rugby Football Union level four coaching certificate holder being accused of taking over the duties of the national team coaches. This saw the withdrawal of Cheetahs coach Nyamutsamba from the Port Elizabeth Sevens at the end of last year and then again Middleton assumed the role of head coach when Zimbabwe failed to secure a spot as an IRB World Sevens Series full member in Hong Kong.
The 37-year-old Middleton, who also took up the job of head coach at Falcon College, a private school in Esigodini while still employed by the national rugby governing body informed the ZRU leadership of his decision to abandon his post during a meeting held at Hartsfield Rugby Ground last Friday.
Online Reporter