The Sunday Mail
Deputy Sports Editor
THE Cheetahs can expect a ‘big match feel’ when they compete for the final ticket to the 2020 Olympics Sevens Rugby at the Repechage tournament in Monaco this weekend.
This follows news that fans will be allowed into the Stade Louis II in Fontvieille for the games slated for June 18 to June 20.
According to reports from France, organisers have confirmed that 5 000 fans will be able to watch all the action from the second and third days of competition inside the iconic structure.
Fans would be required to wear face masks and respect social distancing.
The Zimbabwe Sevens team is expected to leave for Monaco this morning, with Cheetahs gaffer Daniel Hondo opting for a more cautious approach.
Hondo’s Cheetahs have been placed in Pool A alongside Samoa, Ireland, Tonga and Mexico, while Pool B is made up of Uganda, France, Chile, Hong Kong and Jamaica.
In the Cheetahs pool, Samoa and Ireland have been rated as the Cheetahs’ biggest threat to progressing to the knock-out stage by virtue of being core teams of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
But Hondo disagrees.
“Never underestimate any team, and Mexico do have a chance of progressing.
“They (Mexico) are our first game and so they are the priority right now.
“Hopefully we can put them away early on, and that would be a good start,” said Hondo.
Familiarity looks to be Zimbabwe’s biggest strength going into games against Ireland, Samoa and Tonga.
“Yeah, we have some big teams in our group, what with the likes of Samoa, Tonga and Ireland.
“However, we have played Samoa and Tonga before and it can go either way.
“Sevens game is a funny game and the ball can bounce in any way.
“However, we are looking forward to the challenge and we will give it our best.
“Let’s not forget France in the other group; they are the host nation and they are also in the circuit…let’s not count them out,” he said.
The former Zimbabwe international believes their Cape Town training camp was an eye-opener.
“The tour in South Africa was a good one for us. It showed us where we are and helped us identify the areas that need attention.
“We definitely needed to work on our fitness and overall basic skills.
“We started slow during the first week but gradually improved as the days and games went by.
“Since we have been back, we have just been working on our weaknesses and we have been trying to get our things in order.”
