Massive career move for Mudariki
ZIMBABWE national sevens rugby team captain Hilton Mudariki has made a big career move after he was signed up by English Championship side Jersey Reds with the scrum-half to join the club in June.
Mudariki, who is leading the Cheetahs at the Kwese Sports Victoria Falls Sevens which started yesterday and concludes today, has been playing for the University of Johannesburg in South Africa since 2015.
He joined UJ from Saracens Sevens side in the United Kingdom and before that, he had spent one season at Amersham and Cheltern Rugby Clubs in England.
It is a massive move for Mudariki considering that Jersey play in the second tier of English rugby union club league set up, which is below the Aviva Premiership.
The 25-year-old has also made 13 appearances for the Zimbabwe Sables since making his debut at the end of 2013.
He has become an integral member of the Sables over the years as he made the number nine jersey his and will play a crucial part for the national fifteens team in their quest to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan via this year’s Gold Cup.
Before that, Mudariki will lead the Cheetahs in their bid to become a Sevens World Series core member in Hong from 6 to 8 April. Jersey, currently third in the Championship, have now signed seven players for next season.
Meanwhile, the Sables will no longer take on South African side Barbarian Lions in friendly matches which were scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Harare Sports Club. Zimbabwe Rugby Union president Aaron Jani said the two matches, which were meant to give Sables coach Peter de Villiers an opportunity to have a look at locally based players have been shelved since the South Africans cannot raise a full squad.
He indicated that other plans were being made in order for the Sables to get enough preparations for the Gold Cup, which starts in June.