Zimbabwe ready for Morocco

Sables coach Peter de Villiers

..Sables eye World Cup tournament

THE last time Zimbabwe qualified for the Rugby World Cup in 1991 about 92 percent of the current Sables players were not yet born.
The cloud that has hung over the Sables over the past 27 years could be blown away this year if the enthusiasm, confidence and hunger for success the current crop of players is displaying is anything to go by.
The Sables coach Peter de Villiers says his troops were excited, fire up and hungry to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan and exorcise the ghost that has been haunting the national team. He sees failure as not an option.
Zimbabwe last qualified for the Rugby World Cup in 1991 — the country’s other previous participation at the global event was in 1987. On both outings the Sables, who were the only African representative, failed to progress beyond the first round.
Exactly 27 years later, the Sables’ quest to rub shoulder with the world’s best resumes next month. Their opening match against Morocco on June 16 would, to some extent, test the pulse and preparedness of the country and could present a slight indication of what is in store.
The Sables have played three times before against Morocco winning two of the matches — 16-0 on May 8 in 1990 in Harare and 21-9 on June 16 1994 in Casablanca.
The defeat was on 12 September 1998 in Morocco.
Zimbabwe will also face Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia and Namibia in their bid to qualify for a ticket to Japan. Two of the matches are at home, with the rest away.
“The Sables have already started their preparations for the onslaughts coming this year, and I am very excited to work with these guys. What they did in four days is amazing, I will keep you posted on where we are, what we are doing,” said de Villiers in a video posted on his Facebook Page on Tuesday night.
In the video De Villiers thanked “everyone” who supported him during the death of his father last week.
“I celebrated the life of my father, we buried him with dignity,” he said.
The Sables major criticism over the last years has been their level of preparedness during world cup qualifiers.
In an interview early this week de Villiers was quoted saying: “No coach will ever be ready; coaches want more time, but I think we will be prepared. Mentally we will be ready, I worked hard on that side of the game. We will be up for the challenge come the 16th of June and from there we can only build where we want to be.”
De Villiers described the time the players spent together in camp as priceless, and implementing what they learnt in the match against Morocco being what’s left.
A total of 26 players attended the camp, just the squad size De Villiers wants to work with, as he says he sees no point in a huge number. The players and administrations confidence has also been boasted by sponsorship deals that the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) received last month.
ZRU believes that the domestic game is headed for a new era of professionalism following the unveiling of sponsorship deals for the Sables from several local and international companies.
Local mining giant Zerttew Resources was unveiled as the major sponsors of the flagship national rugby side, Sables, in a landmark deal worth $1 million. The international mining investment company, founded and headquartered in Zimbabwe with offices in Johannesburg South Africa, and Luxembourg, will take responsibility of Sables coach
Peter de Villiers’ wages and upkeep as well as the players’ welfare.
Portnex International, a South African commodities and energy trading company, and Zimbabwean attorney firm Titan Law, Zimoco and Croco Motors are the other sponsors, while the Sables will be dressed by leading international sportswear manufacturer, Canterbury.
This was done with one eye firmly fixed on possible qualification for the 2019 World Cup in Japan, which in itself could reap massive financial benefits that come with being part of the global rugby showcase.