Blow for Sables, as Rugby Africa cancels Tunisia trip

By The NewsDay | Jul. 3, 2021 | 3 Min read

THE Sables will have to wait longer before they begin their campaign to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup following the last-minute cancellation of the Rugby Africa Cup Pool D tournament, which was set to be played in Tunisia, due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the North African country’s capital — Tunis.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

Zimbabwe’s national 15s rugby side was expected to leave the country for Tunisia today for the three-nation tournament, where they were expected to play Burkina Faso and the hosts on July 13 and 17, respectively, at Stade Mustapha Ben Jannet in Monastir.

The competition would have marked the start of the 2023 World Cup qualifying marathon, which kicks off this weekend with other pool matches being held in Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda.

However, in a major blow for the Sables players, who have been in camp since May 16 in preparation for the Tunisia trip, the tournament was cancelled a day before their departure after the North African country was put under partial lockdown.

Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) president Aaron Jani, who is a member of Rugby Africa’s executive committee, confirmed the development.

“Yes, I can confirm that the Sables will no longer be travelling to Tunisia for the Rugby Africa Cup tournament. We are currently in a meeting to find the way forward and the final position will be communicated in due course,” he said.

In a communiqué sent to ZRU, Rugby Africa revealed that the cancellation of the tournament was necessitated by the Tunisian authorities’ decision to suspend all sporting events in the country.

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“Rugby Africa regret to inform you that the Tunisian Rugby Federation today notified Rugby Africa of the cancellation of the Rugby Africa Cup Pool D tournament which was to take place in Monastir from July 9 to 17,” Rugby Africa said.

“This decision, although very disappointing, was not taken lightly and is in accordance with the directives of the Tunisian authorities to suspend all sporting events with immediate effect.

“This is due to the growing number of positive COVID-19 cases and the fact that the capacity of hospitals and intensive care units across the country is currently saturated.”

The continental rugby governing body said it was still deliberating the way forward.

“Rugby Africa is currently exploring all options in accordance with Section 5 of the Conditions of Participation, in order to protect the interests of the three teams, to preserve the integrity of the competition as a whole and to manage our available resources prudently. We will communicate the final decision as soon as possible and appreciate your understanding and co-operation in this regard,” Rugby Africa said.

After the cancellation of the Pool D tournament, the second round of the Rugby Africa Cup will be played across four pools of three teams in three different venues, namely Kenya, Côte d’Ivoire and Uganda.

The top two teams of each pool will progress to the knockout phase of the Rugby Africa Cup in 2022 with the eventual winner qualifying directly for the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the runner-up booking a place in a global repechage tournament.