The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE senior national fifteens rugby team coach Cyprian Mandenge and his entire Sables technical team have resigned from their positions with immediate effect in what is believed to be over the team’s poor results at international level.
Mandenge, his assistant coach for the last two matches Daniel Hondo, as well as team manager Sebastian Garikai all left their Sables posts late on Monday afternoon. Zimbabwe Rugby Union vice presidents Noddy Kanyangarara and Tapiwa Mangezi confirmed the development. Kanyangarara disclosed that the hunt for the new Sables coach will be made public once they get the letters of stepping down from Mandenge, Hondo and Garikai.
“The entire Sables technical team resigned yesterday, we will advertise the post as soon as we get the letters of resignation from the three,’’ said Kanyangarara.
It is understood the poor show by the country’s flagship national rugby team forced Mandenge and his lieutenants to throw in the towel. The Sables have now lost seven matches in a row, a losing streak which started last year, something which is said to have not gone down well with the Nyararai Sibanda led ZRU leadership.
Zimbabwe’s troubles on the international scene started when they were drubbed 80-6 by Namibia in Windhoek in an Africa Cup clash in August last year. They followed that up with defeats to Hong Kong, Russia and Portugal in the 2015 Cup of Nations in Hong Kong.
The Sables were this year relegated from the elite Africa Cup Division 1A when they lost all the three matches they played in the competition. Zimbabwe were beaten 61-15 by Kenya at Police Grounds in Harare on 9 July, went down 34-27 to Uganda at the same venue on 23 July and ended their participation in the Africa Cup with a 60-22 loss away to Namibia at the beginning of this month.
Zimbabwe will play in the lowly 1B next year where they have to try and make a quick return to 1A if they stand a chance of qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The winner of the Africa Cup 1A the year before the World Cup will book a place in the World Cup.
Mandenge who in June this year secured a World Rugby Level Three coaching qualification became Sables coach at the beginning of last year, taking over the position from Brendan Dawson, a man he had assisted for a number of years. Under Mandenge the Sables only won two out of nine matches they played with seven defeats.
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