Zimbabwe ready for Morocco

Sables coach, Peter De Villiers

THE cloud that has hung over the Sables for 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, fired up and hungry to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan and exorcise the ghost that has been haunting the national team.
De Villiers says his charges are ready to face Morocco in their crucial opening Rugby Africa Gold Cup match against Morocco at Harare Sports Club on Saturday.
“At this moment, we are prepared to play tomorrow, but we still need these two days going forward to get ourselves ready for all the onslaughts that can come from any part of our opponents,” De Villiers told reporters at a Press briefing on Tuesday.
The Sables’ game against Morocco will mark the beginning of De Villiers’ era as Zimbabwe coach since his much publicised appointment in February.
“I’ve been supported greatly by the union (Zimbabwe Rugby Union); I can say the players too have been treated professionally. We have brought a new dimension to Zimbabwe Rugby and everybody aboard to it,” he said. The Sables take on North Africans Morocco winless, hoping to get their campaign off to a winning start and enhance their chances of automatically qualifying for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.
After Saturday’s game, Zimbabwe head for Kenya ahead of a clash with the East Africans on June 30 before another away clash against Tunisia on July 7.
The Sables will take on Namibia at Hartsfield Rugby Stadium on August 18 in a penultimate Rugby World Cup qualifier, before taking on Uganda on August 18.
De Villiers, who led the Springboks to the 2009 Tri Nations title, said he was pleased with his players’ sense of self belief ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Sables squad:
Peter Du Toit, Tapfuma Parirenyatwa, Connor Pritchard, Biselele Tshamala, Njabulo Ndlovu, Takudzwa Mandiwanza, Fortune Chipendu, Brian Nyaude, Jannie Stander, Johan Stander, Goofy Nyakufaringwa, Farai Mudariki, Gabriel Sipapate, Denford Mutamangira, Lawrence Cleminson, David Makanda, Matthew Mandioma, Shingi Katsvere, Takudzwa Kumadiro, Kudzai Mashawi, Dylan Baptista, Zee Khupe, Ngoni Chibuwe, Brandon Mandivenga, Matthew Mcnab, Lenience Tambwera, Hilton Mudariki and Ernest Mudzengerere.