Cheetahs face tough marathon

CHEETAHS head coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba is not a happy camper.

Everything seems to be going wrong for the Rugby World Cup Sevens-bound coach and his charges.

After ending 2017 on a high by qualifying for the world showcase, and scooping the Coach and Team of the Year gongs at the Annual National Sports Awards, 2018 has not been so kind.

The Cheetahs have been inactive since finishing runners-up at the Rugby Sevens Africa Cup last October; the tournament that sealed their place at this year’s World Cup penciled in for July 20-22 in San Francisco in the United States.

Nyamutsamba is nowhere near finalising his traveling squad for next month’s Hong Kong Sevens tournament — where the Cheetahs will slug it out with nine other teams for core status — and the World Cup.

Shingi Hlanguyo, one of the breakout stars of last year’s Africa Cup campaign, has been ruled out of next weekend’s Kwese Sevens tournament due to college commitments. And Hong Kong and France, teams that could have given the Cheetahs a good run, have turned down invitations to the tourney that is slated for Victoria Falls.

“Ideally, this is not the situation we would have loved to be in,” said Nyamutsamba. “Normally the objective going into the Kwese Sevens would be to win it and hopefully build some momentum going into the last couple of months before the World Cup.

“However, we have been inactive since last October with no tournaments to speak of. We have since had to alter our objectives and the main goal going to Victoria Falls will be to select our final 12-men squad; the team that will travel to both Hong Kong and the United States.”

The Zimbabwe Rugby Union insists the Hong Kong and France no-shows will not take away the glitter from the Kwese Sports Victoria Falls Sevens.

“Yes, we would have liked both France and Hong Kong to come here and compete because they bring a level of competition one cannot buy. Sadly, the two teams informed us that they needed at least a year and a half’s notice and have pledged to come here for next year’s edition,” said ZRU chief executive Sifiso Made.

“We have brought in replacements we believe will give our Cheetahs a good run for their money. Zambia, Lesotho, Botswana and Uganda are bringing in their national sides. South Africa and Kenya will probably bring players knocking on the doors of the Blitzboks and Shujaa teams.”