The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE Sables coach, Brendan Dawson has named his squad to face Ivory Coast in a Rugby Africa Cup quarterfinal match to be played at the Stade Delort, Marseille, France on Friday evening.
Kick off for this 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifier is 21:00 Zimbabwean time.
Victor Mupunga will scrum down at loosehead prop with Liam Larkan at hooker and Bornwell Gwinji at tight head prop to complete the front row. Sean Beevor and Godfrey Muzanargwo will lock the Zimbabwe scrum in the back row. Jason Fraser, Kelvin Kanenungo and Nyasha Tarusenga make up the loose trio.
Sables captain Hilton Mudariki leads the team at scrumhalf and forms a halfback pairing with Marcus Nel who starts at flyhalf.
Shingirai Katsvere and Shayne Makombe are expected to give Zimbabwe some wheels on the wings. Takudzwa Chieza is at first centre, with Matthew McNab on his outside while Tapiwa Mafura, fresh from winning from South Africa’s Carling Currie Cup with the Airlink Pumas is the last man in defence at fullback.
Should the Sables win the clash with Ivory Coast, their most likely opponents in the semifinals on 6 July will be Namibia who take on Burkina Faso in the last eight. Namibia meet Burkina Faso at the Stade Delort in an early kick off.
The winner of the Rugby Africa Cup final on 10 July will book an automatic slot to the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France while the runner up still has an opportunity to make it to the global showpiece via the playoffs.
Zimbabwe Sables: Victor Mupunga, Liam Larkan, Bornwell Gwinji, Sean Beevor, Godfrey Muzanargwo, Jason Fraser, Kelvin Kanenungo, Nyasha Tarusenga, Hilton Mudariki (captain), Marcus Nel, Shingirai Katsvere, Takudzwa Chieza, Matthew McNab, Shayne Makombe, Tapiwa Mafura
Replacements: Matthew Mandioma, Tyran Fagan, Cleopas Kundiona, Godwin Mangenje, Aiden Burnett, Kyle Galloway, James Forrester, Ngoni Chibuwe
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