The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
AN opportunity to experience how a professional rugby franchise operates has been presented to Zimbabwe Sables coach Brendan Dawson when he goes for attachment at Hurricanes in New Zealand.
Dawson and Sables team manager Jason Maritz leave for New Zealand on Tuesday and return on 14 March.
Sables assistant coach, Tonderai Chavhanga managed to organise the attachment but is not making the trip to New Zealand due to other commitments.
“I am off to New Zealand with Jason for an attachment at the Hurricanes, this will help us with our coaching, to see where we are and see how a professional rugby team is run. Chavhanga managed to organise it, the sad thing is that he is not available. We looking forward to it, we are really excited about it,’’ Dawson said.
The trip to New Zealand is being partly funded by former Sables player Ewin McMillan. Dawson’s attachment to the Hurricanes comes at a crucial time with the Sables to play in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge which starts next month before they take part in the Rugby Africa Cup. In the Rugby Africa Cup, Zimbabwe face Tunisia away and then Ghana at home. Should the Sables win the two matches, they are most likely to face Namibia in the semi-finals.
Last year, the Sables used the SuperSport Rugby Challenge as a platform to build a competitive team that went on to win the Victoria Cup, a four-nation competition which also featured Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.
“We are hoping to get into camp 14th of April in Cape Town with a squad of 35 players, our first match is against Natal on 25 April. Its massive, it’s the foundation of finding the final team to play Tunisia and Ghana. We used it as a platform last year in making sure it’s the building of the team,’’ Dawson said.
It looks like that success from last year has attracted a lot more players who are keen to play for the Sables this year. With players playing in better leagues outside the country, Dawson is relishing an opportunity to beat Namibia, a team Zimbabwe have not beaten in more than a decade.
“A lot more players available, local-based and foreign-based so it’s really nice. We have to beat Namibia this year. If we beat Tunisia and Ghana, we play Namibia in the semis.”
According to Maritz, some of the players who have indicated their availability for the Sables are Nyasha Tarusenga, Deanne Makoni, Keith Chiwara, Sebastian Roche, Andrew James, Edwin Nxumalo and Justin Zietsman. In this year’s SuperSport Rugby Challenge, Zimbabwe will make use of Hamilton Rugby Club in Cape Town for training and as a home ground.
@Mdawini_29
