‘It is deliberate’: Zim 7s coach Ricky Chirengende explains selection of Sables stars

BY SPORTSCAST WRITER

Sables flanker Tino Mavesere (with ball) and winger Ed Sigauke seen here playing against South Korea on an end-of-year tour there last November. Both have been selected by Zimbabwe for the Rugby Africa Cup Sevens in Mauritius next week.

HARARE – Zimbabwe Sevens head coach Ricky Chirengende says the inclusion of full format star players in his side for next weekend’s Rugby Africa Cup Sevens in Mauritius is part of groundwork for July’s crucial World Cup qualifiers in Uganda.   

The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) on Friday named a strong 12-man squad for the Mauritius trip, making the Cheetahs one of firm favourites to win the tournament. The side is headlined by such top players as Tapiwa Mafura, Ed Sigauke, Dion Khumalo, Trevor Gurwe and Tino Mavesere – all expected to play a big role for the Sables at the World Cup qualifiers in Uganda between 8 and 19 July.

“There has been a lot of shock about the team that we’ve named,” Chirengende told SportsCast on Friday.

“But ja, if you look at Eddie, Dion, Gurwe, those guys are regular Sevens players then Mafura and (Tanaka) Mudzekenyedzi played in the last Olympic qualifiers so probably the only new face to Sevens will be Blithe (Mavesere). But we know what Blithe can bring on any rugby field so ja, we are just counting on him to bring that.”

Chirengende, who is also the assistant coach for Zimbabwe in the main version, added that picking key Sables players for the shorter version just weeks before the Uganda showdown was tactical.

“It is deliberate,” said Chirengende.

 “I obviously didn’t do this without the blessing of Pieter (Sables head coach Piet Benade). It’s something that we spoke about, it could be valuable game-time for the guys. It just helps with their sharpness leading into Africa Cup XVs in Uganda (which serves as Africa’s final 2027 World Cup qualifiers).”

Meanwhile, an interesting selection for the Zimbabwe Sevens side is South Africa-born Munashe Dukuswa, who has been making waves for the University of Pretoria in the Varsity Cup.

The lightning-quick winger’s introduction to the Zimbabwe set-up excites Chirengende.

“Munashe Dukuswa is a player I’ve tracked for a long time,” he commented.

"I actually got to know him when I was still in SA at KZN, when he was playing at Glenwood High in Durban. He is a boy I’ve known from then, and I’ve just been tracking him. This is an opportunity for him to introduce himself to Zimbabwe fans who might not know him. He’s a young player who has been doing exploits for the Tuks side and he has done well for them. He is a good talent – I have known him since he was 15, 16, playing for Glenwood and I was (coaching) at Maritzburg College.”

                    ZIMBABWE SEVENS SQUAD

 Vuyani Dhlomo, Munashe Dukuswa, Tanaka Mudzekenyedzi, Edward Sigauke, Godfrey Magaramombe, Ryan Musumhi, Tapiwa Malenga, Dion Khumalo, Tapiwa Mafura, Tinotenda Mavesere, Carlos Matematema, Trevor Gurwe.