Sables maintain position
MICHAEL KARIATI
The Zimbabwe rugby senior national team, the Sables , have remained unchanged as the second best rugby playing nation in Africa according to the latest rankings released by the International Rugby Union.
The same rankings which are for the month of May sees the Zimbabwe women’s team way down the perking order in eighth place in Africa and have also dopped to 50th in the world from 49th.
The same goes for Piet Benade’s Sables who have slipped to 31st in the world down from 30th despite beating Zambia 32-28 in an International Rugby Test on May 4.
The Zimbabweans with an overall points total of 52.43 are second in Africa behind Namibia (22nd in the world), who have 60.46 points but lead Kenya who have 51.12 points and 34th in the world.
South Africa who are the world’s top team with 94.54 points are not ranked in Africa as they do not play African opposition in any qualifiers for major international competitions due to their high international standards.
Zimbabwe also lead the Ivory Coast who in 1995 shocked the Sables by qualifying for the World Cup after Zimbabwe had lifted Africa’s flag at the global rugby festival in 1987 and 1991.
This comes as the Sables are readying themselves for the 2024 Africa Cup to be held in Uganda in July and also at a time the Zimbabwe Rugby Union has a new president in the form of Losson Mtongwizo.
Mtongwizo last weekend took over from Aaron Jani in the ZRU presidential polls after getting seven votes compared to Jani’s six.
Mtongwizo’s dream is to build – from the young- a strong Sables team capable of qualifying once again for the World Cup which was last heard of in 1991.
” High level performance is part of my plan. The goal is to make sure that all our players start training at the highest level from a very young age,” pledges Mtongwizo.
The Sables will return to international action in the Africa Cup which will be held in Uganda between July 18-29 where Namibia, Kenya, Ivory Coast and the josts lie in ambush.
The Sables highest world ranking was 26th in the world in 2015 while their lowest was 57th in 2008.
