The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
DURING a disappointing year for Zimbabwean rugby, it was left to the country’s national sevens team, the Cheetahs to bring some cheer after they qualified for next year’s Sevens Rugby World Cup to be staged in San Francisco, United States of America.
Coached by Gilbert Nyamutsamba, the Hilton Mudariki captained Cheetahs booked their place at next year’s tournament by finishing second in the Africa competition played in Uganda in October. Zimbabwe were beaten 10-7 by Uganda with both teams joining the already qualified South Africa and Kenya as Africa’s representatives in the tournament to be held in July 2018.
The players who made qualification possible were Mudariki, Biselele Tshamala, Lucky Sithole, Tapiwa Tsomondo, Scotty Jones, Stephan Hunduza, Ngoni Chibuwe, Shingirai Hlanguyo, Njabulo Ndlovu, Hilton Mudariki, Body Rouse, Mkhululi Ndlela and Nelson Madida.
After such an achievement, the Cheetahs went on to be rewarded with a Team of the Year accolade at the Sports and Recreation run Annual Sports Awards on 14 December. Nyamutsamba also got recognition with the Coach of the Year prize.
For the country’s flagship national rugby team, the Sables, the year was tough. The Sables managed to survive relegation from the Rugby Africa Gold Cup. Coached by Cyprian Mandenge, the Sables managed just one win in the competition, a hard fought 28-16 triumph over Senegal in Dakar.
Zimbabwe went on to lose to Namibia, Kenya and Uganda. Crucially, they managed to stay in the Gold Cup, a competition whose winner in 2018 will automatically qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan while the team in second place also has a chance of making it via the repêchage route.
After the unsatisfactory display by the Sables, Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) chief executive officer, Blessing Chiutare announced in August that Mandenge’s technical team has been disbanded with the Sables coaching job advertised. With the 2018 Gold Cup just a few months away, the Sables have no substantive which should be a massive concern if the country harbours any interests of being in Japan come 2019.
The Nyararai Sibanda led ZRU board was in August suspended by the SRC pending an investigation into what caused the establishment to fail to execute their duties. An interim committee led by former Sables wing Russell Karimazondo was put in place.
More bad news followed when the South African Rugby Union announced in September that Zimbabwe have been kicked out of the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week. Saru made the announcement that Zimbabwe, Namibia, Eastern Province Country Districts and Border Country Districts will only play in the Coca-Cola Academy Week and no longer field Under-18 Craven Week teams. Instead, Saru said in a fresh introduction to the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week, the Blue Bulls, Golden Lions and Western Province will field invitational sides in addition to their regular Coca-Cola Craven Week teams.
In 2018, the Under-18 Craven Week and Under-18 Academy Week will be held at Paarl Boys High in the Western Cape from 8 to 14 July, in celebration of the school’s 150th anniversary.
Saru chief executive officer Jurie Roux explained that the makeover has been necessitated by the need to bring competitiveness to the Youth Weeks.
The Zimbabwe Under-18 had won just one out of the 12 matches they played at the Craven Week since 2014 and the move by Saru could have been in response to Zimbabwe’s poor display at the annual event.
Zimbabwe have taken part in the Craven Week since 1964 but there were years during which they did not participate. The country sent boys continuously to the premier junior rugby competition in South Africa since 1980.
Being booted out of the Craven Week was yet another setback for Zimbabwean rugby as the Sables in August lost their slot at the Hong Kong Four Nations tournament which takes place in November every year due to poor results.
A vote of no confidence was passed on Sibanda’s leadership at the beginning of November to pave way for fresh elections to be held in order to usher in a new leadership. Elections were held on 2 December where former Sables wing Aaron Jani was voted in as the new ZRU president with Martin Shone and Losson Mtongwiza coming in as the two vice presidents. The new board will finish off the term of the Sibanda led one which expires in 2020.
It emerged on the day a new leadership was elected that Zimbabwe were on the verge of being banned from the international game by World Rugby because of continued bickering and meddling by former Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhosini Hlongwane. ZRU have also had their grant from World Rugby slashed by almost half due to squabbles by administrators.
With fixtures already out for the 2018 Rugby Africa Gold Cup which show Zimbabwe will play two matches at home, against Namibia and Morocco, the Jani led management has to move with speed to appoint a Sables coach to start preparing the team for the crucial qualifiers.
The success starved Zimbabwean rugby fans can only hope for achievements on the field of play in 2018 after a disastrous 2017. — @Mdawini_29
