Ex-Zim captain Tsimba tipped for a return to English Premiership champions as skills coach

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER

HARARE – Former Zimbabwe rugby captain Kennedy Tsimba has been touted as a potential skills coach for reigning English Premiership champions Bath.

Bath are looking to replace Lee Brackett, who has left his role after being permanently appointed as England's national team assistant coach.

If 51-year-old Tsimba lands the Bath job, it will mark a return to a club that gave him his first contract as a player nearly three decades ago in the early years of professionalism.

Dazzling flyhalf Tsimba was signed by Bath for the 1997-98 season as a 21-year-old highly-rated playmaker, hyped to potentially become one of the best rugby players in the world.

He would however make just five appearances for the Somerset club before heading back to Southern Africa, where he went on to achieve legendary status at Bloemfontein outfit Cheetahs.

Tsimba – who is now an assistant coach at South African franchise Bulls – has over the past few years emerged as one of the top coaches in the country.

Bath have not officially released a shortlist of candidates to take over from 42-year-old Englishman Brackett, but the authoritative rugbypass.com have named the former Currie Cup Player of the Year as one of six possible replacements.

“Tsimba’s focus has been on skills and unstructured rugby, so pairing him with Finn Russell (Bath’s Scotland national team flyhalf) could be a lot of fun, if not highly unlikely to happen,” wrote rugbypass.com.

Other notable names mentioned by the website include England's World Cup-winning back Mike Catt and Ed Robinson, a former England assistant coach under Eddie Jones.

Tsimba's name doesn't at all appear out of place among those being earmarked for the role.

South African Johaan van Graan, Bath’s head coach, has known Tsimba since he was a player.

Van Graan was on Bulls’ coaching staff when the ex-flyhalf maestro and South African first-class rugby record-breaker was in the twilight of his playing days with the Pretoria franchise.

Kennedy Tsimba is an assistant coach at South African franchise Bulls.

Makoni-born Kennedy Tsimba was the first black player to captain his native Zimbabwe's rugby team. His late older brother Richard Tsimba, who starred for Zimbabwe in the first two World Cups of rugby in 1987 and 1991, was the first black person to represent their country in the sport.

The two brothers were inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2012.