Back to drawing board for Sables

Sables coach Peter de Villiers is a relived man

ONE win, one draw and three defeats is hardly the return Zimbabwe expected after the high profile appointment of former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers and the coming on-board of several sponsors to bankroll the team’s World Cup qualification campaign.
The Sables’ first season under de Villiers can best be described as topsy-turvy as the South African coach began his tenure with high hopes, before facing the grim prospect of relegation from the top tier Africa Gold Cup.
While in the end the Sables failed in their bid to secure their first World Cup since 1991, it was the manner in which they rose in the face of adversity and turned despair into delight to convincingly win their last match in Uganda and secure their top tier status that has given many fans hope.
In fact, the Sables’ impressive 38 –18 victory against Uganda in Kampala can best be described as a ‘come-back-from-the-dead’ win as very few gave them a chance of emerging from the tough contest against a confident Cranes side unscathed.
The never-say-die attitude exhibited by the Sables on Saturday should act as a catalyst for a change as the players, coach, technical staff and the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) look to rebuild ahead of the qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup to be hosted by France.
The just ended disappointing campaign should also provide key lessons for the future among them the need for the Sables to play more competitive preparatory matches ahead of qualifying tournaments.
The fact that the Sables had to wait until their last match to deliver their best performance showed that they need to play more friendlies against strong opposition ahead of important assignments.
This would give the coach more time to identify winning combinations and the right personnel for certain positions, while also paying particular emphasis on their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
The tournament also taught Zimbabwe to be “better prepared” for away games to avoid a recurrence of what happened in Tunisia, where off field destructions had a negative impact on the team’s performance.
Unlike previous qualifiers, this year the corporate world supported the Sables so issues of finance were not a factor and this will yet again be crucial as the team looks ahead.
With the domestic game being lifted to a new era of professionalism following the unveiling of sponsorship deals for the Sables from several local and international companies, more was expected had the team qualified for the World Cup.
Local mining company 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, also took responsibility of coach, 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 where 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 was going to reap massive financial benefits that come with being part of the global rugby showcase.
After the match on Saturday, De Villiers was quoted saying said he was happy with the team’s performance and that they survived relegation, attributing the victory to hard work.
“I cannot blame my players for the past games because I believe they still gave a lot and have steadily showed improvement. I will enjoy the victory over Uganda because I prepared the boys well for the game and they played according to plan,” he said.
Under De Villiers, who took charge early this year, Zimbabwe lost to Namibia, Tunisia and Kenya, while drawing with Morocco before defeating Uganda.
Namibia qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup after completing the campaign unbeaten, while Kenya will play in the repechage competition.
He, however, said World Rugby was not investing enough in the sport in Africa.
De Villiers, who coached the Springboks from 2008-2011, said Africa continues to use the little resources it has to develop and improve rugby.
“There is a lot of money there with World Rugby, but very little comes to Africa. They give very little to African nations and expect them to die on the field,” he said.
“World Rugby should invest more in Africa because there is abundant talent here. But we are working around very limited budgets and yet many others outside Africa are getting more support.
“We are playing good (rugby) in Africa, entertaining the public and developing the sport. But I think World Rugby has to rethink their strategy and invest more in rugby in Africa.”
“We have continued to play rugby in Africa under tough conditions, but the numbers of people watching the game are growing and surely World Rugby has to find ways of adding more support.”
The last time Zimbabwe qualified for the Rugby World Cup was in 1991, the country’s other previous participation at the global event was in 1987.
In both outings, the Sables, who were the only African representative failed to progress beyond the first round. Until the 2023 World Cup qualifiers, it’s back to the drawing board for the Sable.