Cheetahs not under pressure ahead of Sevens Rugby World Cup

ZIMBABWE national sevens rugby team coach, Gilbert Nyamutsamba is not putting his players under pressure ahead of the Sevens Rugby World Cup to be held in San Francisco, United States of America from 20 to 22 July.

Nyamutsamba has chosen to use the World Cup to build what he calls the next generation team as shown by the decision to leave out some experienced players. The Cheetahs mentor left out seasoned stars like Njabulo Ndlovu, Lenience Tambwera, Gardner Nechironga and Lucky Sithole. He opted instead for youngsters like Shingirai Hlanguyo, Tarisai Mugariri and Connor Pritchard. Skipper Hilton Mudariki will miss the World Cup as he tries to settle in at his English Championships side Jersey Reds who are preparing for the start of the new season. In Mudariki’s absence, Boyd Rouse and Stephan Hunduza have been handed the task of leading the Cheetahs at the World Cup with the two being co-captains.

Also missing from the Cheetahs squad is South Africa based Tapiwa Tsomondo who represented the Boland Cavaliers in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge and is looking to seal a place in the Boland squad for the Currie Cup.

“I was very clear from the start, we are building the next generation team hence some senior players not in the team. Our objective is to play well and set a base for life after the World Cup,’’ Nyamutsamba said.

The Cheetahs left the country yesterday for the Sevens Rugby World Cup which runs from 20 to 22 July in San Francisco, United States of America. Nyamutsamba named his final squad of 12 players for the 24-team tournament at the beginning of last week. This was after the team had been in camp in Harare from 2 July.

From the team which represented the country at the 2013 World Cup staged in Russia, only speedster Tafadzwa Chitokwindo survived with the rest heading to the global showpiece for the first time.

He bemoaned the limited time the team spent together ahead of the Word Cup, indicating that they had done their best during that limited period the players had in Harare.

“Time spent as team together is always a challenge and a factor, teams that spend more together play more coordinated structured game, we have done the best with the time we had. I am sure the team will perform well at the world stage,’’ Nyamutsamba said.

In USA, Zimbabwe take on Wales on Friday in the pre-round of 16 and if they win they will meet USA the next day. If Zimbabwe fail to beat Wales, their opponents will be whoever loses between Samoa and Uganda. Zimbabwe Cheetahs squad for Sevens Rugby World Cup: Ngoni Chibuwe, Connor Pritchard, Shingirai Hlanguyo, Stephan Hunduza(captain), Riaan O’Neill, Biselele Tshamala, Nelson Madida, Tarisai Mugariri, Tafadzwa Chitokwindo, Shayne Makombe, Body Rouse(captain), Kudakwashe Chiwanza

Coach: Gilbert Nyamutsamba

Team manager: Donald Mangenje

Physiotherapist: Margaret Gibson

— @Mdawini_29