Gidza under no Dubai illusion

GILBERT NYAMUTSAMBA is many things to many people.

He is a father, a brother, a Zimbabwe rugby legend, and coach to mention some those many things. What he is not is a fool. The 47-year-old Cheetahs coach is a realist and bears no delusions of grandeur ahead of this week’s Dubai Sevens tournament.

The Zimbabwe men’s Sevens coach said, “We have looked at the whole tournament, not just our group, and can safely say it is not going to be easy.

“There are going to be some tough games and we are also going to get clapped a few times … there will probably be some results that will be too hard to stomach.

“The goal is to go out there get some experience under our belts, learn whatever we can and then come back home and chart a way forward.

“That to me would be the definition of a successful tournament, if at the end of the day we can hold our heads high and say we have learnt something.”

The Cheetahs are in Pool A were potential high-octane clashes against South Africa’s BlitzBoks, Argentina and Samoa await them.

Gidza and his men have not had the ideal run-up to the November 29- December 1 tourney.

First, the proposed trial run at the Stellenbosch Sevens last month was cancelled. Then the team regrouped for camp last week without four foreign-based stars Shayne Makombe, Ngoni Chibuwe, Shingi Hlanguyo and Tafadzwa Chitokwindo.

“We started camp on a slow, not all the players are in yet,” said the Sevens gaffer. “There were some logistic challenges, we failed to secure their tickets on time. We hope they trickle in as we draw closer to the tournament, otherwise we will have to meet up with them in Dubai.”

While the odds are heavily stacked against his team, Nyamutsamba wants the Cheetahs to play with dignity.

“You are looking at teams amongst the top 15 rugby playing nations in the world. These are countries that play roughly ten competitive tournaments a year … but it is what it is.

“We will just have to go at it alone and give it our best shot. We will not be sitting ducks, no ways. We will give it our all and defend the national flag,” he said.