Rugby: Do or die for Sables

The Zimbabwe Sables need much more than a win when they face Kenya in a World Cup qualifier at Mahamasina Stadium in Madagascar today.
The match kicks off at 12 noon.

The Sables have to convincingly beat the Kenyans, earn a bonus point and hope that Namibia fail to do the same when they meet Madagascar later today.

Zimbabwe, under the tutelage of Brendon Dawson, have to score four tries to earn a bonus point, which will take their points tally to 11.

Namibia can also reach the 11 point mark if they wallop Madagascar.

Yesterday a report on the International Rugby Board website noted that “Kenya are in pole position to make history and qualify for a Rugby World Cup for the first time after maintaining their winning run in the Confederation Africa Rugby Africa Cup Division 1A Rugby World Cup 2015 qualifying tournament in Antananarivo on Wednesday.”

“Kenya, aiming to break Namibia’s recent stranglehold as the Africa Region’s second representative on rugby’s greatest stage, recorded a bonus point 34-0 win over Madagascar to open up a four-point lead over Zimbabwe at the top of the table with one round remaining.

“Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s 24-20 defeat to Namibia in the opening match of the day means that it is mathematically possible for all three teams to finish top of the table going into Super Sunday when Madagascar play Namibia and Kenya face Zimbabwe.

“To have any hope of winning the title, Namibia, Rugby World Cup ever-presents since 1999, need to take maximum points from their clash with bottom-of-the-table Madagascar and hope Zimbabwe beat Kenya with neither side picking up a bonus point in the process. Such a scenario would put all three teams level on 10 points, with points difference then taking care of who finishes top and qualifies for England 2015 as Africa 1 and who finishes second and enters the Repechage.”

If the sides still cannot be separated by competition points or points difference then the following criteria applies in this order:

the team with the best try difference — tries scored minus tries conceded
the team with the highest ‘points for’ total
the team with highest number of tries scored
the team ranked highest in the IRB World Rankings at the beginning of the tournament.