The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union will be hoping to get a clearer picture of their calendar, or fate of the sport this year, in the next couple of weeks.
This comes on the backdrop of the fate of the current lockdown, which has been extended to May 17 and the World Rugby Annual Meeting of Council slated for May 12.
It is after these two events that the Zimbabwe Rugby Union will have better picture of this year’s programme, which includes the commencement of the Super Six Rugby League and international assignments by the Sables and Zambezi Cheetahs.
“As you are currently aware we are currently on lockdown, both national and a 60-day self-imposed suspension of all rugby action,” said ZRU chief executive officer, Sifiso Made.
“It is against this background that we stand guided by the sports ministry, through the Sports and Recreation Commission, as to when and if we will be able to resume rugby action once the lockdown comes to an end on May 17. But as you might be aware, the President said all sporting events will take a break until further notice.
“The Covid-19 has hit us hard with Craven Week age groups tournaments, in South African, being cancelled.
“We also failed to host the Harare Paramount Garments Under-20 rugby league finals, which were called after Government put on ice all sporting disciplines and banned all gatherings back in March.
“However, we remain hopeful of commencing the Super Six rugby league, once we get the nod from Government,” he said.
As it pertains to international action, Made went on to reveal how the union has been keeping tabs on the big stage, with the World Rugby Annual Meeting of Council likely to discuss and strategise a way forward.
“The good news is that, as things stand, the Supersport Rugby Challenge is still on the calendar and will likely take place in August.
“We also hope to hear from Rugby Africa, as it pertains to the Africa Cup, which was one of the bigger assignments for the Sables this year,” he said
While the primary goal of the May 12 meeting will be to hold chairmanship elections, it is the union’s hope that a clearer picture will be drawn as it pertains to the Olympic Repechage Sevens tournament.
The Cheetahs had already started preparations for this tournament, before the coronavirus struck and put a stop to the team’s tour of Chile and Uruguay.
The second-tier tournament was recently introduced as a means to give developmental sides more game time, culminating in the finale at the Hong Kong Sevens.
