The Sunday Mail
The Sables’ selection panel is faced with the daunting task of picking the ideal pair of starting centres for this month’s Rugby World Cup qualifying tournament in Madagascar. A number of players made their claims for national team caps during the final selection match played at Harare Sports Club on Friday.
Zimbabwe needs a second place finish, at the very least, during the final leg of the qualification tournament to be held in Madagascar later this month.
Hosts Madagascar are the first hurdle; on June 28, followed by arch nemesis Namibia on July 2 before they wrap up the tournament with a date against Kenya on July 6.
“We’ve picked the best players available to us and I feel that this is our best chance.
“The camp has been superb and the guys have been really focused.
“The intensity of the camp has been outstanding and I do not think the technical team can ask for anything more because the guys have put their backs into it and trained very hard,” said head coach Brendon Dawson.
While the temptation would be to choose the best player for each position this approach does not always translate into working combinations.
Working combinations are everything in rugby!
Daniel Hondo is the most experienced outright first centre, but there is no clear-cut partner for him with Tichafara Makwanya, who is better suited as a fly-half, Stephen Hunduza, a winger, and Shayne Makombe having been enlisted as options.
One cannot ignore the fact that Zimbabwe’s scoring strength lies in a swift back three, who rely on the centres for a constant supply of clean balls.
One possible option would be to have Hondo paired with experienced centres such Danny Robinson and Gerald Sibanda while Tangai Nemadire moves to the full back position with Hunduza and Makombe filling the winger positions.
