Exclusive: World Rugby boss Brett Robinson to visit Zim this week ahead of World Cup return

By Enock Muchinjo

HARARE – World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson will make an official visit to Zimbabwe this weekend, accompanied by Rugby Africa president Herbert Mensah and David Carrigy, the Chief of International Federations at the sport’s global governing body.

Australian Robinson, who was elected in November 2024, is traveling on a mission to drum up support for Zimbabwe’s participation at the next Rugby World Cup, to be hosted in his home country towards the end of next year.

The historic trip by the most powerful man in world rugby is a rare visit to an African country outside global rugby superpower South Africa, marking a momentous occasion for Zimbabwean rugby at this juncture.

On the trip, the 56-year-old former Wallabies star, alongside Mensah and Carrigy, will meet top government officials and several partners of Zimbabwean rugby in a bid to get all stakeholders behind the Sables’ preparations for their first World Cup since 1991.

“The imminent visit to Zimbabwe by the chairman of World Rugby, Brett Robinson, is truly extraordinary and I’ll be accompanying him,” Mensah told SportCast on Wednesday.

“And I find it a privilege, every time I have to set foot in the extraordinary country that is Zimbabwe. I think it is a true privilege. And I can say, when I speak to Brett, he always speak of the fondest memories. Don’t forget that he played there, in Zimbabwe, in Harare, many, many years ago. Obviously, I’m a lot older than him (…chuckles), but I can remember the fact that he did play over there that time, and he was an extraordinary player. It’s interesting because he chairs World Rugby pretty much the way he played. That is, he believed in the rules, he played strongly, but fairly and took no prisoners. And that is what rugby is all about. Given that he comes from a medical background, he’s passionate. Brett is so passionate about player welfare, it is incredible. So when he talks about putting together global iconic events like the World Cup that we have next year, he’s always talking about player welfare. Brett has always been very clear in his mind. Yes, we have to promote the game, yes, it’ll always been a certain number of countries who are the best, we understand that. We might have a different structure, but you mean to say that in the top eight, we are not going to have an Argentina, a Spain, a Brazil, these days we have the Moroccos, the African components as part it? Absolutely. But beyond that, we have got to make sure that when we put together these tournaments, we do it in a different way. We’ve expanded the World Cup to 24 nations, that every single one of them has a chance to prepare themselves professionally, right all the way to the competition.”

The delegation’s visit comes after the Sables participated in the first phase of the inaugural World Rugby Nations Cup in the United States and Canada this July.

Zimbabwe lost all three games to Tonga, the US and Canada but made a huge impression in all of them, reducing the defeats to narrow margins.

Mensah, who also sits on the World Rugby Executive Board and chairs the global regions of the body, remarked how he backed the establishment of the Nations Cup, a 12-team second-tier international competition comprising teams that have qualified for the 2027 World Cup in Australia.

“In 2023, I was one of those who voted for the Nations Cup tournament, and why did I vote for that? Because I said it was the only way we could ensure we had more rugby being played by Africa and therefore by the regions,” he said.

“In terms of the quality of African players, I’ve never been in any doubt, I think we have superb athletes that if we get the competitive base, if we sort out our internal fly wheel, the investments to start internally, we will do well. And sports is big business. It’ not about charity or aide, it’s big business and we have to climb that rope. We’re going through a transformational change in world rugby and the transformational change is saying yes, it’s more like a sling-short, you know where you want to go and there’s a drag. If you’re a cricketer you’ll understand it; you shine one side of the ball and make sure that the seam gets the rough, and you make sure that what it is that you want. In business terms, you’ll understand that you take a decision today, you get the result tomorrow. As an economist, which apparently I am, you’ll also understand that economic policies sometimes take a cycle to kick in and get effect. World Rugby made a decision that we are going to invest in the American growth plan. We believe we can get into the richest markets in the world which is, I believe, rugby will handle themselves with more grace and dignity.”

The Sables’ progress since their back-to-back African titles in 2024 and 2025, to their historic tie against South Africa ‘A’ in Gqeberha in June to the North Africa tour for the Nations Cup, has won the admiration of the African rugby supremo.

“You can see from every pick-up, every game, how much better Zimbabwe has got,” Mensah said.

“We’ve all been proud of it. Occasionally Brett sends me news headlines, clips, so clearly, he’s been keeping an eye on Zimbabwe, and that is massive. We saw how they played against Springboks ‘A’, that (forward) pack held itself. For a country that has not been playing much in terms of the 15s game, they acquitted themselves very well. The line-out maybe a little wobbly, but by the time they reached Canada, and the awful storms, and the problems there, they were playing a lot better. They looked strong, lasting the pace with everybody else, and coming back essentially injury-free. And this is massive. It’s something that goes through to the issues of player welfare, and the planning of where we are going.”

It will mark Mensah’s second visit to Zimbabwe in five months. In March, the Ghanaian businessman and seasoned sports administrator was in the Southern African country alongside his special advisor Dave Gilbert and Steph Nel, the World Rugby Senior High-Performance Consultant for Africa.

Zimbabwe’s World Cup campaign was officially launched during the trio’s visit, and they also met President Emmerson Mnangagwa to discuss the Sables’ preparations.

Now returning to the country alongside the head of the world game, Mensah said it was Robinson himself who initiated the latest visit.

“I didn’t say ‘Brett, you got to come to Zim (…chuckles),’ said Mensah.

“But Brett said, ‘you know, I played in Zim, I want to come to Zim’. I said ‘why do you want to come to Zim?’. He said ‘I just want to be there, I want to show association, I want to show approval and I want to show that I’m backing you’. And that’s a massive statement because some of us have been at the fore to say there’s been internal turbulence. I know that Brett and the EB (Executive Board) are serious on issues of governance. We said, ‘you know what, we’ve got to work with an IMC (Interim Management Committee) in Zimbabwe, put it in place, see through the World Cup and ensure that we’ve got stability’. I’ve come down to Zimbabwe and set down with the SRC (Sports and Recreation Committee), the Deputy Minister of Sports, Emily (Jesaya), and had a meeting with His Excellency, the president. I mentioned this fact at World Rugby, and no objection was put in place. Without Brett chairing, we wouldn’t have that. So Zimbabwe, this is massive. We’re coming there with an EB, with a chair who says ‘we back you, we support you, we encourage you’. And that is massive, it really is.

“For that, the other side issues, the fact that Brett played rugby in Zimbabwe, and so did I. pump my chest and talk about my time at OH (Old Hararians), and I played for Mashonaland. For me, it’s such a great privilege and so many good things I took from Zimbabwe by the time I left and went back to the UK. Brett and his extraordinary wife, Amelia, with the famous and important David Carrigy and myself, will be in Zimbabwe this week and I’m looking forward to it yet again. Yes, I know I was thee again few months ago, I know that. But I wouldn’t give up on coming to Zimbabwe for anything on earth. Zimbabwe should also understand that it is hugely privileged. Zimbabwe, from all the calls I’m getting, the messages I’m getting, they understand that it’s going to be spectacular. It’s going to be different; In a few days the greatest rivalry on earth (Springboks versus All Blacks) is going on in South Africa. But for these few days, the only thing that matter is that you will have the chair of World Rugby in Zimbabwe and I will accompany him and so will Amelia, David, and there will be a whole range of other people. I know Paddy (Zhanda, IMC chairman), and his team are waiting for us and we shall be coming there full of enthusiasm, hope. And I hope it leaves up beyond my last experience because I went to the EB and was able to put up my chest and say ‘I went back to Zimbabwe and it was fantastic’. And it was indeed beautiful. And the people were courteous and I hope that by the time that we leave, that the last part of the fly wheel, and that is government, will say that wow, you had Brett Robinson there. That investment, we need it to be accelerated. Can you imagine the Nations Cup matches being played in Zimbabwe! And everybody gets to see what a beautiful country it is. Get ready, Zim, were on our way.”

Brett Robinson in November 2024.