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Mudariki out of Hong Kong Sevens

Sport
THE Zimbabwe Sevens rugby team will be without influential young skipper Hilton Mudariki ahead of their latest assault on core-status in the HSBC Sevens World Series at the Hong Kong Sevens next week.

THE Zimbabwe Sevens rugby team will be without influential young skipper Hilton Mudariki ahead of their latest assault on core-status in the HSBC Sevens World Series at the Hong Kong Sevens next week.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

Mudariki was excluded from the Cheetahs’ 21-member training squad which started camp in Harare on Wednesday in preparation for the qualifying tournament slated for April 8-10.

Zimbabwe will have to battle it out with 12 other teams including Morocco, hosts Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Spain, Cayman Islands, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Papua New Guinea and Tonga for the right to play full-time, as a core member of the Sevens World Series circuit.

Coach Danny Hondo, who is expected to name his final squad at the weekend, said Mudariki would be unavailable after not being released by the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

The 23-year-old Cheetahs scrumhalf, brother of France-based tighthead prop Farayi, has been in sublime form for UJ, who are through to the semi-finals of the Varsity Cup competition.

“Hilton (Mudariki) is unavailable due to university commitments. He is a key member of UJ’s Varsity Cup squad and they have not released him for the Hong Kong Sevens.

“It’s obviously a blow for us because besides being the captain of the side, he’s a very important player for us, but we are working hard to ensure that whoever replaces him will be equal to the task,” Hondo said.

The Cheetahs were drawn in Pool E of the 12-team core team qualifier alongside hosts Hong Kong, Germany and debutants Cayman Islands, while Pool F comprises Spain, Chile, Papua New Guinea and Mexico.

Lining up in Pool G are pre-tournament favourites Japan, Tonga, Brazil and Morocco.

The winner of the core-team qualifier will replace the bottom-placed team during the current HSBC Sevens World Series after the completion of the final event at Twickenham in London in May.

Russia were promoted from last year’s qualifier after edging Zimbabwe in the final to replace Japan who were relegated from the series at the conclusion of the previous campaign.

The Cheetahs will have very little time to rest after next week’s Hong Kong Sevens as they will immediately shift their attention to the repechage event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games to be held on Monaco from June 18-19.

A total of 16 men’s teams will compete in Monaco for the one remaining place for the Olympic sevens men’s competition, which takes place from August 9-11, 2016.

Zimbabwe dropped to the repechage event after missing out on Africa’s sole automatic Rio Olympic ticket to Kenya at African Olympic qualifiers held in South Africa last year.

Cheetahs training squad: Boyd Rouse, Jacques Leitao, Njabulo Ndlovu, Biselele Tshamala, Dave McWade, Manasah Sita, Tendai Dzongodza, Takudzwa Francisco, Kingsley Lang, Lucky Sithole, Shayne Makombe, Stephan Hunduza, Lenience Tambwera, Kuda Chiwanza, Riaan O’Neill, Kilvan Magunje, Tichafara Makwanya, Tafadzwa Chitokwindo, Tadius Dzandiwandira, Takudzwa Kumadiro, Josh Rowe.