The Sunday Mail
Petros Kausiyo
Sports Editor
DESPITE losing an entire season to Covid-19, the Zimbabwe Rugby Union have not lost focus in their bid to have the Sables qualify for the 2023 World Cup and have, instead, stepped up their act in pursuit of that dream.
The deadly coronavirus conspired to ensure there would be no rugby on the domestic front since it struck this country and the rest of the world, forcing a national lockdown in March.
There had been hopes that the 2020 season would kick-start Zimbabwe’s qualification bid for a place at the Rugby World Cup in France in 2023.
That was before the local and global sport was forced into a hiatus.
But for ZRU president Aaron Jani and his leadership, the focus on their prime target, which is to help the flagship team, the Sables, qualify for the World Cup, has remained intact.
On Tuesday evening, the ZRU will revive that bid to be at France 2023 when they stage a function to mobilise financial, moral, and material support for the national team at an event being dubbed “Sables 2023 RWC launch’’.
The launch comes just over a month since the Sables undertook an auction of some rugby memorabilia as part of fund-raising efforts.
Tuesday’s function for which Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry is expected to be the guest of honour, is also set to be graced by the former Springboks pair of Adrian Garvey and Tonderai Chavhanga as special guests.
Both Garvey and Chavhanga are just like Tendai “Beast’’ Mtawarira, Zimbabweans who pursued their professional rugby in South Africa and turned out for the Springboks.
Jani said they were expecting some of the Sables legends who represented Zimbabwe at the World Cup in 1991.
And these include Jumbo Davidson, Andy Ferreira, Brenton Catterall, and Ewan Macmillan, whose presence could serve as an inspiration to the current crop of Sables that is battling to end Zimbabwe’s long absence from the World Cup.
The ZRU boss, himself a former Zimbabwe international, said they were aware that the Sables qualification campaign will not be an easy road, with many teams now calling on their nationals dotted across the globe to come and play for their native countries.
It is against this background that the ZRU believe they would need to get all the support they can muster for the Sables, who had also been hoping to defend their Rugby Africa Victoria Cup title, had Covid-19 not intervened.
“The purpose of the function is not only to raise money. We aim to bring the rugby community together,’’ Jani said.
“It’s an opportunity to honour our Sables heroes and at the same time encouraging our current Sables. The support from former Sables, rugby fans and corporates has been nothing short of amazing. They have donated goods, services and their valuable time and expertise to ensure the success of the official launch of the Sables World Cup campaign.
“We have over 30 items and services that have been donated some of which will be auctioned on Tuesday. One of the prized items will be a jersey donated and signed by David Pocock,’’ said Jani.
Jani believes the kind of support the Sables have been receiving should provide the platform for their success when the African edition of the qualifiers eventually gets underway.
“The support has been overwhelming and definitely puts the Sables in good standing as they campaign for the World Cup.
“The competition will be very tough as expected with teams like Algeria who have players based in France, our perennial rivals Kenya, Namibia, and Uganda.
“As you can see we need all the support we can get to empower our national coach Brandon Dawson and his men with all the tools they will require,’’ Jani said.
Just before Covid-19 struck, the ZRU had sent Dawson on an attachment stint in New Zealand while last year, a Sables side of largely Under-23 players took part in the SuperSport Challenge Cup in South Africa.
In an earlier interview with The Sunday Mail Sport, Dawson praised the New Zealand approach, which he said values simplicity over everything else.
“It was amazing how they operate . . . they have very simple and modest equipment, gymnasiums and training drills and routines.
“What I believe separates them from everyone else is the passion and dedication from individuals. Players take a more front-row seat into the effort that is put in training and game performances. There is a lot of self-motivation and self-criticism as each player is held accountable for the effort they put in and the results that come out.
“And as a coach, I believe that makes our jobs easier,” Dawson said.
With rugby having been given the green light by the Government to resume, Dawson will now get an opportunity to apply some of the lessons learned from the New Zealand tour to enrich the Sables.
