The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda , Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE national fifteens rugby players, George Saungweme as well as Shayne Makombe have signed for a French Federal 1 club, Saint-Denis.
Saungweme, a flank has been with CAR Coada Sevilla in Spain for five years. On Friday, he announced that he was leaving Spain for France where he has penned a three-year deal.
The 28-year-old said the switch from Spain where he spent five years to France was influenced by the finances and getting to play in a better league. Makombe was with Rugby Club Compiegne in Federal 3.
Federal 1 is the highest level of amateur rugby and has been in existence from 2000.
“They offered me more money which was way more than I was getting in Sevilla but it wasn’t much about the money. It was more about the opportunity to play in France, as you know the World Cup will be in France and Zimbabwe is on the verge of qualifying, we just need to win the remaining games,’’ Saungweme said.
With France being a powerhouse in rugby, Saungweme pointed out that the league he will be playing in is more professional compared to Spain.
“As you know traditionally France is a rugby playing nation is rugby playing country compared to Spain, with the league I was playing in, Federal 1 is fully professional, in Spain it was semi-professional so that’s the difference.”
Saungweme was part of the Sables’ expanded training squad for last month’s Rugby Africa Cup but did not make it into the final team that played two matches against Burkina Faso at Old Georgians Sports Club. Makombe made it into the final Sables squad that took on Burkina Faso.
He is in Lithuania at the moment where he has taken up a contract to play for Kauno Azuolas in the Baltic Cup.
Yesterday, Saungweme started at lock while Makombe was also in the starting lineup at second centre for the same team as they beat Vilniaus Regbio Akademija 43-12 in their Baltic Cup opening fixture.
“Every summer I come play in the Baltic Cup it’s a two-month contract and I use it as a preseason. Last year we lost in the final,” Saungweme said. -@Mdawini_29
