The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE have been drawn to play against Canada in the pre-round of 16 at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 to be held in Cape Town, South Africa on 9-11 September.
According to the match schedule released by World Rugby, the Cheetahs will face the Canadians in early kick off on the opening day of the tournament at the iconic Cape Town Stadium, one of the venues for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Zimbabwe are one of the 24 men’s team that booked their place at this year’s edition of the Rugby World Cup Sevens that is taking place on African soil for the first time ever.
Hosts South Africa are top seeds in men’s tournament following a remarkable 36-match winning streak which saw them win six rounds of the World Series in a row across 2021-2022. However, they will face stiff competition with Australia seeded second and double Olympic champions Fiji seeded third. New Zealand are the reigning men’s champions and are seeded fifth coming into the event.
The seedings for both men’s and women’s competitions were based on points accrued during the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in 2020 and 2022, while teams who do not participate on the Series were seeded using their rankings gained at World Rugby Sevens events and regional ranking positions ending in July 2022.
World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin said: “The release of the match schedule with 50 days to go is a really exciting moment on the road to Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 in Cape Town. Players, teams and fans can now fine-tune their plans and prepare for what promises to be a truly spectacular three day showcase of world class rugby sevens.
“With its iconic location, and passionate, international fan base, the first Rugby World Cup in South Africa since that special event in 1995 promises to be another must watch, history making celebration of rugby’s power to unite and inspire people from all countries and backgrounds.
“Rugby Sevens is an incredibly fast, skillful, dynamic and dramatic sport, which continues to grow in popularity around the world following a second highly impactful Olympic Games competition in Tokyo last year.”
The Kudzai Mashawi led Cheetahs will use next month’s World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series that will take place in Santiago, Chile on 12-14 August, with promotion to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2023 the prize at stake for the men’s and women’s tournament winners as part of their preparation for the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022.
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