The Sunday Mail
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
“THERE will be punishment for each and every one of you!” quipped Derek Chiwara as the Zimbabwe women’s Sevens rugby side drenched the gaffer with bucket after bucket of water during their moment of triumph last weekend in Maseru, Lesotho.
This was after the Lady Cheetahs qualified for the Africa Cup set for Tunisia, courtesy of a 20-0 win over Mauritius in the decider.
The win completed a flawless performance by the team, one in which they finished the regional qualifiers without conceding a try or a point.
Flyhalf Delight Mukomondo finished as the tournament’s top try-scorer, with her tally (seven) being the highest amongst both the men and women’s categories.
What followed Zimbabwe’s win was the usual celebratory hugs and war cries.
“You know how celebrations happen.
“It all started with the team chanting and singing those lovely songs that we Zimbabweans are known for in times of joy,” Chiwara said.
“A couple of senior players snuck up on me and poured buckets of water on me …
“We then had a braai in the evening, during which most of the teams that attended the games were invited.”
Apart from the sense of relief and joy that comes with successfully completing a mission, the Lady Cheetahs knew that success meant the biggest winner on this day was the women’s game.
After Mauritius was forced to pass up the opportunity of hosting the regional qualifiers due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Lesotho stepped in and managed to hold a successful event.
The team’s performance greatly impressed Chiwara.
“Two games stand out for me and these were our first and last matches against Lesotho and Mauritius (respectively).
“You know, first games are always difficult as you want to break the ice and start off on a high.
“The girls delivered, executing great plays, demonstrating remarkable discipline and the score (62-0) was a testimony of all that,” he said.
“During the last game, the demands of tournament rugby had taken their toll on the girls.
“Lucky for me, the girls showed great mental strength.
“They were tired, exhausted even, and Mauritius was really putting on the pressure … I was impressed by the resilience of the Mauritius ladies, and together we really put on a show for the neutrals.”
Watching his charges let their hair down for a second to celebrate their triumph also afforded Chiwara a moment or two to reflect on the road travelled so far.
“The feeling of triumph is amazing when one puts into context the challenges we had to overcome just to get to this moment.
“From the beginning, trying to get a venue to train was a challenge on its own during the early days.
“We knocked on so many doors and we are so thankful to the Zimbabwe Republic Police for allowing us to eventually use their grounds for our training.
“That was a turning point for us as it gave us an environment where the girls could come and train consistently.
“We also had difficulty with something as simple as attendance.
“As you know, most of these girls have duties and obligations at home. To top it all off, finances were also a problem. We ended up dipping into our own pockets so we could assist those that did not have bus fare.”
The team also had to look for means to assist the few that are based out of Harare find accommodation during camp.
After having secured the all-important ticket to Tunisia, the Lady Cheetahs are expected to regroup again today at Morris Depot.
The only difference now is that they are expected to face bigger and stronger teams such as South Africa, Kenya, Tunisia, Madagascar and Uganda.
The five automatically qualified for the tournament due to their superior ranking.
They will joined by winners of the other three regional qualifiers, which also include the Lady Cheetahs.
The Africa Cup is the last round of qualifiers for both the Commonwealth Games and the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
Chiwara is under no illusions of the challenge that lies ahead.
His bucket list includes competitive warm-up tournaments, involving his charges in next month’s local Summer Sevens Series and also having a couple of scrimmage games against any of the country’s age-group teams.
However, the Lesotho tournament was not without casualties as Carol Malenga went down with an ankle injury during the first day of competition.
She is expected to join Ruvimbo Mudyanadzo, Ruvimbo Museve and Faith Mungira on the sidelines.
They are all likely to miss the Cape Town tournament at the end of the month, but Chiwara hopes to have them back in time for the Africa Cup.
For now, the Lady Cheetahs know they have made their mark and will have all the confidence as they tackle their next hurdle.
After all, this is a team that has for long lived in the shadows of their male counterparts — the Cheetahs.
