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BY ENOCK MUCHINJO HARARE – Zimbabwe international Tapiwa Mafura has been released by Lions in South Africa and will head home to join the national team’s early preparations for next year’s World Cup in Australia. A reliable source in Harare told SportsCast on Wednesday that the Sables star fullback has left the Johannesburg franchise at his own request after failing to get game-time for a prolonged period. Mafura was believed to be on his way to Europe or switching team

The following is a verbatim excerpt from a conversation between record-breaking ex-Springbok wing Tonderai Chavhanga and SportsCast founding Editor Enock Muchinjo following confirmation this week of World Cup-bound Zimbabwe’s curtain-raiser match against South Africa ‘A’ for the Springboks versus Barbarians clash on 20 June in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), South Africa. Tonderai Chavhanga (third from left; front row) as Zimbabwe's assistant coach during the SuperSport

South Africa A have made a welcome return to the rugby calendar. SA A will take on Zimbabwe in Gqeberha on 20 June in a curtain-raiser to the Springboks’ opening match of the season against the Barbarians. The last time SA A team took the field was during the 2022 end-of-year tour against Munster and the Bristol Bears. With the 2027 World Cup in sight for both the Springboks and the Sables – who qualified for the international spectacle for the first time since 1991 – t

Bath’s 1997/98 season is best remembered as the year they became the first English champions of Europe. But, privately, it was also the time when the genesis of an idea that transition play could be coached was planted in the mind of the one of the club’s overseas signings, Kennedy Tsimba. As the first black player to captain the Zimbabwe in 1998, Tsimba already had a track record in breaking new ground. But lately he’s become a pioneer in coaching transition, the grey area b

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER Some of the squad's younger players pose for a photo after the big win on Tuesday. HARARE – Zimbabwe rugby team assistant coach Ricky Chirengende says the tour to Louis Trichardt is giving uncapped younger players an opportunity to showcase what they can potentially bring to the Test side. An entirely locally-based squad mixed with senior Sables stars and emerging players – playing as Zimbabwe ‘A’ – is on a two-match tour of the South African town as

HARARE – The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has announced a major two-year partnership with CFAO Mobility Zimbabwe, which will see the leading automotive company become the official transport partner of the Sables. The partnership comes as Zimbabwe intensifies preparations for its return to the global stage at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. With focus now shifting firmly towards building a competitive squad for 2027, the partnership provides critical logistical suppor

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER HARARE – With the schedule for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia now out, Zimbabwe have been given further assurance that their return to the sport’s biggest stage will be well supported by both the continental governing body and World Rugby. Rugby Africa president Herbert Mensah, a member of the Executive Board of global ruling body World Rugby, reaffirmed that the Sables’ first World Cup appearance since 1991 will be of great priority to the two bo

According to reports, Ulster Rugby are set to strengthen their second-row resources with the signing of Zimbabwean lock Eli Snyman, it understood the deal is expected to be confirmed in the coming days if it materialises. South African outlet Rapport has reported that Snyman has agreed a two-year contract with the Irish province and will arrive ahead of next season. While Ulster have yet to formally announce the move, all indications are that the 29-year-old is poised to

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER JOHANNESBURG – A raft of measures, to turn around the finances of rugby on the continent, are well underway under the stewardship of Rugby Africa president Herbert Mensah. Delivering a message last week as the year comes to an end, Ghanaian entrepreneur Mensah emphasised the need for a mindset change on the continent for rugby to attract major investment and achieve financial independence. “Anybody who knows me well enough will understand that I hav

Alex Nicholls is one of four legendary Zimbabwean rugby players (alongside Craig Brown, Andy Ferreira and the late Richard Tsimba) to feature in both previous World Cup tournaments for the Sables in 1987 and 1991. The former prop and later national team coach has expressed his elation following Zimbabwe’s historic qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, 34 years after their class of 1991 last took the nation to the sport’s biggest showpiece. Below is a verbatim t

BY ENOCK MUCHINJO A young Piet Benade (sitting on the ground, extreme right) with the Bryden Country School Colts team in 1992. HARARE – Early 90s ushered in a glorious era for sport in Zimbabwe, a period full of hope and promise. In 1992, the Southern African nation was celebrating being granted Test status by the International Cricket Council (ICC), after much waiting, following years of being turned down. The same year, the national football team had given South Africa

BY ENOCK MUCHINJO Zimbabwe edged continental rivals Namibia 30-28 in the Rugby Africa Cup final in Uganda in July to qualify for the 2027 World Cup in Australia. HARARE – Former Zimbabwe rugby captain Kennedy Tsimba says the Sables’ resurgence over the past few years has given them a fighting chance of challenging their more fancied opponents at the World Cup in 2027. Returnees Zimbabwe were placed in a tough Group F alongside England, Wales and Tonga in a draw held in host c