BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
THE Zimbabwe women’s national rugby side, Lady Sables, will be hoping for a positive return to competitive rugby when they take on Uganda in two Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in Kampala starting today.
Zimbabwe will play their Ugandan counterparts in the opening match at the Kyadondo Rugby Club on Wednesday before the two teams collide again four days later at the same venue.
This year’s Rugby Africa Women’s Cup marks the first time that the women’s national rugby teams in Africa will be in action at the same time as their male counterparts after the continental governing body, Rugby Africa released a unified calendar for the men and women’s 15s version of the game.
While the Lady Sables battle it against Uganda, their male counterparts will be hosting west African side Burkina Faso in two Rugby Africa Pool D matches on Saturday and next Wednesday at Harare Sports Club.
The Lady Sables will, however, be the first local rugby side to return to competitive action as they begin their journey towards qualifying for the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup which will be expanded from 12 to 16 teams in 2025.
Led by flyhalf Constance Ngwende, the Zimbabwean women, who are coached by Munya Mhonda arrived in Uganda on Sunday and have been preparing in the east African nation since Monday ahead of the match.
“The Zimbabwe Women’s Rugby Sables arrived and were well received in Kampala, Uganda. They have had an unwinding session and will today (Monday) get down to the business at hand by visiting the stadium and having a training session. Coach Munya Mhonda is upbeat and says the team is in good spirits after their long journey and they are raring to go,” the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) said in an update on the team’s trip to Uganda.
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After years of stagnation due to lack of support, the women’s game in Zimbabwe has experienced unprecedented growth over the last few years due to the participation of local girls’ teams in South Africa’s provincial tournaments.
Zimbabwe women’s rugby has also witnessed an increase in the number of young girls taking up the sport at school level.
For the first time in the country’s history, ZRU is planning to offer contracts to 20 female players who will form the nucleus of the country’s rugby sevens and 15s women national teams.
As part of preparations for the matches against Uganda, the Zimbabwean women played two friendly matches against neighbours Zambia in Harare early last month and will be hoping to show the progress they have made in recent years when they play the Ugandans.
Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielnhakaniso
