Double weekend milestone as Zimbabwe keeps churning out world-class sports stars
STAFF WRITER
Marshall Munetsi and Shingi Manyarara have never met in person, despite once living half-an-hour drive apart between Paris and Reims.
They were also less likely to cross paths during their upbringing back home in Zimbabwe, with the 28-year-old Munetsi having grown up of modest means in a township of the Zimbabwean capital city Harare and young Manyarara (21) hailing from the quiet suburban parts of his hometown Mutare.
Yet there have so much in common: both are outstanding professionals in their chosen sports with incredible humility that belies their sporting prowess.
There is, however, another striking comparation that the sporting world probably missed this past weekend.
The two fellow countrymen made the enviable milestone of making their debuts in style in the world’s richest leagues in their respective sporting codes, football and rugby.
Midfielder Munetsi made his full debut for English Premiership club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday in an unfamiliar role upfront, his touch assisting Matheus Cunha for Wolves’ solitary goal in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth.
This came a week after Munetsi debuted off the bench in Wolves’ 2-1 defeat away to Liverpool, following the Zimbabwe vice-captain’s £16m deadline-day move from French top-flight side Reims.
On the same day that Munetsi was making his first starting line-up appearance in world football’s most glamorous domestic competition, not too far away from where he used to live in France’s Grand Est, Manyarara was also having a debut to remember at open-side flank for the Racing 92 club in the French Top 14, the highest-paying rugby league on the planet. The dynamic young loose-forward scored a try in the 26-21 win over La Rochelle in Paris.
That the two Zimbabweans caught the eye on debut on the same day, in two different European countries, in two different codes, and in two of world sport’s most financially rewarding competitions, isn’t at all by chance. Certainly, if one considers the southern African country’s long tradition of boasting a pool of talented individuals in various sports – exporting a great deal to other nations.
What is probably most pleasing to see in the case of Munetsi and Manyarara is that both are homegrown talent – made in Zimbabwe – a real feather in the country’s cap to be able to consistently upkeep structures that churn out world-class athletes.
Desmund Ali, who founded a Zimbabwean football academy where Munetsi was developed, spoke of his great admiration of the Warriors midfielder star in an interview with The Athletic a fortnight ago. Ali, a banker from Harare, said he identified Munetsi when he was just 10 years old.
“My first impression of Marshall was that he had potential,” Ali said.
“Size matters in Europe and when I saw him I thought, ‘this guy is going to grow big’. I didn’t use any science. It was just an observation with the eye. When I saw his father and mother, I could tell that this guy was going to grow big.
“He could play as a right-back, as a centre-back, as a defensive link, as an attacking link and even as a striker. He was kind of a utility player. Covering ground was always a strength of his, even when he was playing at centre-back. He could easily join the attack without a problem. His other attribute was that he had booming shots.
“But when you then see him playing and he’s commanding the midfield, he’s giving instructions or directing team-mates, then you see he actually talks. He was serious about his football, going home, coming for training, going to school.”
There is a slight difference though between Munetsi and Manyarara, besides the age gape. The new Wolves man is already a seasoned international with Zimbabwe while the young Racing 92 back-row is still to be capped by his country at full international level.
But It’s still early days – Manyarara has come a long way in a short space of time. Only two years ago, he was a just a schoolyard hero at Kingswood College in Grahamstown, where he was among thousands of exceptionally gifted rugby players countrywide waiting to break through the strong South African system.
Born in the Zimbabwean border city of Mutare and initially schooled there at Hillcrest College, the town’s leading private school, Manyarara has adapted quickly to professional rugby such that his availability to Zimbabwe for July’s World Cup qualifiers in Uganda will represent a huge coup for the Sables.
As a loose-forward, he’ll add on to a department in which Zimbabwe is often well resourced, but a player of Manyarara’s quality can never be surplus to requirements.
At open-side flank or eighthman, the bulking Manyarara is a player who relishes contact and puts in big tackles, at the same time carrying the ball through the defensive line with delightful attacking spark for a big man.
Zimbabwe’s national Under-20 team coach Shaun De Souza has been immensely impressed by the “rugby IQ” of Manyarara, one of his numerous protégé’s.
When Manyarara first arrived in France two years ago to initially start with the youth squad of Racing 92, De Souza appointed him Zimbabwe’s Under-20 captain in 2023 for the Young Sables’ successful defence of their youth Africa Cup title in Kenya.
De Souza doesn’t hesitate to declare Manyarara ready for the jump to the senior Sables side, who are leaving no stone unturned in their spirited quest to return to the World Cup for the first time since 1991.
“In my opinion, yes Shingi would stand a chance if he was given the opportunity,” De Souza told Business Times this week.
“He has great qualities as a loose-forward, that’s a line-out option with ball-carrying ability and good rugby IQ. His mobility for a loose-forward would definitely help if one wants to play running rugby.”
As we await Manyarara to heed the call to pull over the green-and-white stripes for the first time at Test level during the World Cup qualifiers, Munetsi is sure to continue representing the country in the footballers’ World Cup hunt of their own when the qualification campaign resumes in March. While their fortunes may contrast in their different missions, what’s not debatable is that they are shining examples of their country’s endless conveyor belt of top-class sporting talent.
