Zimbabwe: Full Strength Squad for Sables

28 April 2011

THE Zimbabwe rugby technical team is tomorrow expected to name a full strength squad for June’s Africa Cup qualifying tournament that will be played in Uganda.

The Sables are seeking a revival after some bad results last year.

Having played mostly the younger players in the Victoria Cup where the Sables lost to both Kenya and Uganda, the technical team is expected to this time go for experience which will form the backbone of their team.

Coach Brendan Dawson said that they would be meeting to finalise the squad and hinted that they would be bringing in foreign based players .

“We are yet to finalise the squad, but that should be done on Saturday(tomorrow). We are however, looking to bring in the foreign based players so that we travel with the strongest team because the aim is to make the semi finals once again,” said Dawson.

Having lost to Uganda last year, Zimbabwe will be looking to bounce back and also repeat a winning feat against Madagascar.

Germany based Manasa Sita, Cleopas Makotose, Tangai Nemadire and Rockface Gurumani, Gardner Nechironga, Vakai Hove, Danford Mutamangira are among the players likely to be named for the tournament.

Fly half Norman Mukondiwa, back liner Gerald Sibanda and utility player Fortune Chipendo could also be called in for the important tournament.

Zimbabwe tried to abandon the foreign based players to concentrate on the local contingent, an experiment which resulted in the Sables suffering their first home loss against Kenya and a tumble in rankings.

Zimbabwe is in Division One B together with hosts Uganda, Madagascar and the Ivory Coast and only one team progresses to the semi-finals.

The games will be played between June 13-18 after the Division 1 A games that are set for Kenya from June 7-12.

Division 1 A contains Namibia, Morocco, Kenya and Tunisia who are ranked in that order after South Africa.

Senegal, Zambia, Cameroon and Botswana will be battling for a sole ticket to the semis in Cameroon from June 20-25. Tanzania will host Mauritius, Nigeria and Swaziland from June 25-30 as the four also fight it out for a place in the last four.

AllAfrica – All the Time