The Sables moved into the top 30 of the IRB rankings following participation in the tri-nations rugby tournament in Namibia. The Sables, who were ranked 32nd now occupy position 30. Zimbabwe played Namibia and lost 35-26, before bouncing back against Kenya, where they posted a 29-14 victory.
My opinion on this is that this has given Namibia, Kenya and Madagascar the necessary message as far as the qualification of the IRB 2015 World Cup is concerned. The team has done very well even if we lost to the less fashionable but formidable Namibians. Our players have come of age, look at the way captain Daniel Hondo, the experienced flanker Jacques Leitao and Loose-head prop Kevin Nqindi played in that invitational tourney. Its encouraging indeed let us see what the future actually holds for us.
I spoke to Zimbabwe Rugby Union's newly appointed Technical Director Liam Middleton who said the improvement on the rankings was a welcome development. "It's a great opportunity for us to actually work harder on the way we play. The ultimate goal still remains we would like to be at a better place in the future however our immediate goal is to establish a definitive style of play as a team" he said.
Following their participation in Namibia, the Sables will now be focused on the 2015 World Cup qualifiers.
MEANWHILE
In a statement from Zimbabwe Rugby Union
Zimbabwe's premier domestic 7s series continues this Saturday
at Harare Sports Club, with the best club teams in the country
qualifying for the 2nd leg of the 7s Series. After hosting all the
Northern based clubs in the country in Harare on Friday night (15/11) and all the Southern based clubs in Bulawayo on Saturday (16/11), the best performing clubs have qualified for both the 2nd and 3rd legs of the 7s series.
On Friday
night, in Harare, the defending champions- Old Georgians continued
their winning ways, with a win over rivals Harare Sports Club in the
final of the 1st leg of the tournament. Old Hararians and Dragons II
(Old Georgians development team) as losing semi-finalists also qualify
for the 2nd leg of the tournament.
In
Bulawayo, the Western Panthers were very impressive in their win over
the Matabeleland Warriors in the semi final and the Zvish Bulls in the
final, to complete a memorable day in their club's development. The
other qualifying team were the losing finalists of the Southern based
club tournament- Zvish Bulls. Again the Zvish Bulls were equally
impressive with a win over Botswana University in the semi final.
Completing
the roster of mens teams to participate in the 2nd leg of the SPAR
& Lion Lager Summer Series is 2 barbarians sides. These 2 sides will
be made up of the most talented players from the Northern and Southern
clubs, who did not qualify as a club for the tournament.
Zimbabwe Rugby will also host a 4 team ladies event and a 4 team development tournament at Harare Sports Club on Saturday. Action starts at 10am, entrance to the ground is $2.
Mens teams playing in the SPAR & Lion Lager Summer Series:
- Old Georgians I
- Harare Sports Club
- Old Hararians
- Old Georgians II
- Panthers
- Zvish Bulls
- Northern Barbarians
- Southern Barbarians
Ladies teams playing in the SPAR & Lion Lager Summer Series:
- Harare Sports Club
- Old Hararians
- Police
- Bulawayo Select
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