40 years separate 1987 and 2027, and for Zim, it marks a unique sporting milestone

HARARE – For one close-knit farming family from Rusape, northeastern Zimbabwe, 1987 was a truly special year.

Two of their own featured in one of the most iconic sporting milestones in the country’s history.

First cousins Kenyon Ziehl and Kevin Curran, both Rusape born-and-bred, went to the World Cup five months apart. In the same calendar year, in two different sports.

Fast forward, a World Cup for Zimbabwe in both rugby and cricket, in the same year, is a feat the African nation is set to witness again next year, exactly four decades later.

Former Zimbabwe fullback Ziehl remembers fondly the last time it happened, him being the first of the two close cousins to tour that year when he was included in the Sables squad for the very first edition of the Rugby World Cup, co-hosted by New Zealand and Australia in 1987.

“It was incredible and humbling, exciting and amazing at the same time,” Ziehl tells SportsCast.

“Family members from the same district in small town Rusape, to be representing our country in two different sporting disciplines, on the world stage, made the Currans and the Ziehls extremely proud.”

Ziehl, now 63, was unfortunate to pick up an injury at the Sables’ training base in Auckland, missing the entire tournament.

He, nonetheless, watched from the sidelines in awe as the Rugby World Cup announced its arrival on the global sporting scene with a bang.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t get a game due to injury, but the experience at the inaugural event was surreal,” recalls Ziehl.

“A small nation rubbing shoulders with some of our idols on a world stage. And then later that year, my cousin KC was off to the Cricket World Cup. For us, coming from the rural areas of our country, it was just a dream.”

The rugged farming upbringing of Rusape – with the nearby Makoni Country Club the hub of the community’s social activities – shaped the cousins’ physical grit and work ethic.

“We were exposed to sport from our nappies, watching our parents playing sport,” narrates Ziehl.

“It motivated us to say ‘one day I want to be there on that field’, without settling for second best. It was competitive, with the sense of playing hard and working hard, on and off the field. And always with a sense of humility and respect. Our upbringing was wonderful, a farming community, outdoor and sports club lifestyle. People played a variety of sports; mums, dads, sisters, brothers, friends…everyone in the community.

“Makoni has a remarkable sporting family history…the Ballance family, the Hough family, the Timms family, to name a few.”

The biggest sporting influence on the cousins were their hugely-gifted fathers, Kenneth ‘Ken’ Ziehl and Kevin Curran Sr, who had been friends since their days at Bulawayo Technical School, later to be renamed Gifford High School.

Both Curran Sr and the older Ziehl were remarkably versatile sportsmen, which rubbed onto their sons. Ex-Sable Kenyon Ziehl himself played cricket at a decent enough level and many years later became the head of Zimbabwe Cricket’s national selection panel, while his late cousin Kevin Curran was a talented rugby player in his younger days.

“KC and I were greatly inspired by our fathers,” says Ziehl.

“They also represented our country at various levels in both cricket and rugby. They inherited their ability from the incredible school system and we as children followed that tradition. It was pride and passion for our individual schools that became ingrained in our system, culminating in the passion to want to represent our country. From there, you proceeded to club level. We had tough club leagues and structures across the country. And Zimbabweans never settle for second best…that is why Zimbabwe is known to be the world’s best nursery of talent in all fields and disciplines. It’s unbelievable. We are privileged to be in this space and time.”

While the 1987 Rugby World Cup was the inaugural edition, Zimbabwe’s appearance at the Cricket World Cup that year in England and Wales was their second in the tournament’s history, after the new nation had made its debut in the 1983 edition in India and Pakistan.

Star all-rounder Curran, who died aged 53 after collapsing while jogging in Mutare in 2012, represented Zimbabwe in both the `83 and `87 Cricket World Cups.

The Cricket and Rugby World Cups of 1987 were separated by five months. Next year’s tournaments will put Zimbabwe back onto the global limelight for two reasons.

They will run concurrently, starting at the beginning of October, just a single day separating their commencement. Australia will host the rugby showpiece, with Zimbabwe co-hosting the Cricket World Cup alongside neighbours South Africa and Namibia.

Due to the shared sporting culture between the two sporting codes, it goes without saying that there will be keen interest in the other team’s progress within the Sables and Chevrons camps.

One of those that will definitely keep an eye on the other side is the Zimbabwe cricket team’s fielding coach, Stuart Matsikenyeri, a standout scrumhalf in his schoolboy days, whose teammates at Churchill School in Harare included none other than Springboks great Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira.

“I think it’s a fantastic achievement for Zimbabwean sport,” says Matsikenyeri.

“To have our country competing at both the rugby and cricket World Cups at the same time in 2027, for the first time since 1987, is something really special.

“It shows that we have talent and the ability to compete on the world stage across different sporting disciplines. For me, it’s not only about the two teams, but what it represents for Zimbabwean sport as a whole. Hopefully it creates a lot of excitement across the country, inspires the next generation and gives us something as a country to really get behind and be proud of.”

Something unique in Zimbabwean sport has already been guaranteed for next year. But will there be yet another family connection to it?

Well, that is if Zimbabwe’s veteran spin bowler Graeme Cremer makes it into the Chevrons squad for the Cricket World Cup.

Cremer, who last year came out of international retirement after a seven-year hiatus, is first cousins with Zimbabwe rugby head coach Piet Benade.

So, as it was with Ziehl and Curran, we could have another narrative hook to the Big 40.

Credit: Enock Muchinjo/ SportsCast