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ZRU keen to retain De Villiers

Sport
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has resolved to let the Sables coach Peter De Villiers run out his two-year contract out in the wake of a foiled 2019 World Cup bid in this year’s Gold Cup campaign.

The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has resolved to let the Sables coach Peter De Villiers run out his two-year contract out in the wake of a foiled 2019 World Cup bid in this year’s Gold Cup campaign.

BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

ZRU are ringing a number of changes to the rugby set-up as the Sables sit fourth in the Gold Cup and risk being relegated to the less fashionable Silver Cup next year.

Zimbabwe have failed to win a single match in three starts, playing a draw with Morocco before recording consecutive losses to Kenya and Tunisia in the past couple of weeks.

The Sables have two remaining matches against Namibia and Uganda.

Announcing a number of changes and appointments, ZRU president Aaron Jani expressed the desire to keep former Springboks coach.

“Our major objective was to qualify for the World Cup. De Villiers has a two-year contract with us. After the Gold Cup campaign, we are going to sit down with him and say this is where we are, how do we proceed from where we are?” he asked.

“It’s going to be an issue of dialogue. He has good skills that we require and it also depends on what his plans are.

We do not know how he feels after the Gold Cup campaign, so it’s a discussion we are going to have,” Jani added.

In his Press statement, Jani announced a number of changes to be effected with at ZRU in due course.

Vice-president (north) Losson Mtongwiza was redeployed to focus mainly on rugby development, his southern counterpart, Martin Shone will now focus on the Sables and also sit as a trustee in the Sables Trust

Board member and former Sables player Shingi Mpofu has been appointed as the player representative while the ZRU will immediately employ an administrator for the Gold Cup campaign to focus on Sables welfare

Assistant coach Brandon Dawson was reassigned to the Under-23 academy and will be based in Bulawayo at Hartsfield as De Villiers is expected to find a local coach to assist him in the Gold Cup remaining fixtures.

As a way to instil discipline in the players, the Sables will be required to sign a code of conduct as part of the eligibility processes for selection, while a selection panel will also be set up.