Story by Vivian Bangamu
AS preparations intensify for the Rugby Africa Division One Women’s Tournament, the newly appointed Zimbabwe Senior Women’s Rugby Head Coach, Nsikelelo “Sykes” Sibanda, has announced an extended training squad and technical team, ahead of the competition, set to take place in Ivory Coast from April 9 to April 20.
Sibanda who is working with limited time and resources, has emphasised the urgency of making every training session count.
“We have very little time and resources to pull off an upset in this upcoming tournament, and the whole squad is taking every training opportunity and second on the field very seriously,” he said.
Lady Sables’ provisional squad includes a mix of seasoned players and eight Under-20 players, with four of them from Zimbiru Titans, who earned a call-up, the likes of Tariro Chinyengetere from Raiders, Mutsawashe Mwanyisa of Spartans, Mabel Murungweni and Natalia Nyabinde of Zimbiru Titans and Sisasenkosi Moyo of Highlanders are some of the new member of the training squad.
The Under-20 players are currently part of the Harare, Manicaland and Matabeleland Provincial Rugby Leagues, showcasing the depth of young talent available for selection.
“This huge provisional squad includes Under-20 players who just came from the Provincial Tournaments going on and are raising their hands to play. But we will need anything close to a miracle to reach the standard we want in such a short period,” Sibanda said.
Before heading to Ivory Coast, the Lady Sables will have their last competitive test in the highly anticipated Nedbank Challenge Cup from March 29 to April 5, with the final squad selection expected soon after.
“Thanks to Nedbank, we have a chance to get some competitive local game time and trim our final squad ready for this task. I am working on a culture of winning. We are going there to compete and come out with something to motivate us to grow the team’s pride and bring smiles back home,” Sibanda stated.
This will provide the team with valuable match time and an opportunity to finalise the squad selection.
Zimbabwe will be competing against Uganda, Tunisia, and the hosts Ivory Coast, with the tournament winner earning the coveted spot in the Rugby Africa Cup alongside South Africa, Kenya, and Madagascar.
