VOLUME 1 September Issue, 2010

THE TACKLER
Official ZRU Newsletter

Special points of inter-

est:
 Briefly highlight your point of interest here.
 Briefly highlight your point of interest here.
 Briefly highlight your point of interest here.
Cheetahs Claim Fourth Title
The Lusaka Castle Sevens 2010 Tournament
was the fourth in a row for the National
Sevens team. In the last five years the
Cheetahs have won 27 games, lost 2 and
drawn 1.

 Briefly highlight your point of interest here. This years victory over the South African
Northern Regional team equaled the
tournament record of 4 Cup Final wins by a
single team.

Day 1 saw the Cheetahs face off against

Namibia who showed little interest to
compete for the win, eventually succumbing
21-0 to a sluggish Zimbabwe. A fresh faced
Botswana failed to deliver as The Cheetahs
fought for a 28-0 victory, again with very little
resistance. The final match on Day 1 saw The
Cheetahs pitted against the local press’
perennial tournament favorites, Mpumalanga
Standing : J. Coles, G. Nechironga, J. Leitao (C), N. Ndlovu, G. Nyamutsamba (Coach), D. Hondo,
Pumas. The Cheetahs went into the break
G. Mitchell, F. Chipendu, B. Hobson (Manager) Kneeling: J. Rowe, T. Mhende, S. Jones, T. Nemadire,
14-0 up but failed to accelerate when
J. Ndebele
required, in order to close the game down.
The physical Pumas, along with the bounce of
the ball fought back to win 26-21 on the blended in with a proven sevens structure
buzzer. Despite the loss, The Cheetahs aside a confident Zambia 35-0 in the Cup
proved too much for our neighbors once
remained at the top of their pool. quarter finals. When teams lose consistently
again. The Kenya Select side which many
to an opponent it becomes a habit, and The
fancied as dark horses stumbled against a
By Day 2 the body is sore and the legs are Cheetahs have realized this with Zambia.
swift Namibian side in the other quarter final,
heavy, but despite this The Cheetahs brushed Superior conditioning and a hard worth ethic
which meant they would (cont page 2)...

Inside this issue:

Sables Make a Date for Africa Cup Finals
Having won the Final match Of the Africa The venue is yet to be confirmed
Women On The Move 2
Cup Pool C against Madagascar 28-26 in but it is likely to be held in North
Bulawayo on July 3rd, the Zimbabwe Africa.
Sables booked themselves a spot in the
The Goshawks - A History 2 Should Zimbabwe win the
Africa Cup Finals in mid November later
tournament they will jump as
this year.
much as 8 places in World
The Cote D’Ivoire Experience 3
This will see them face off against the Rankings considering all other
winners of Pools A and B, and the best teams are ranked higher than The
runner up. To date, only Morocco have Sables.
Coaches Corner 3
qualified alongside The Sables. A team
Preparations for this showpiece are likely to take place next month with the hope that all
like Namibia will surely win their pool
players on The Sables books will make themselves available so as to select the strongest
Fan Focus 3 and head north to compete, thus
available team to carry the Nations flag.
providing stiffer opposition for The
Sables, yet testing their abilities and This is the first time this format has been used for the African countries and provides
Advertise in The Tackler 4 growth as a team on the move. bragging rights on the continent.

Tafadzwa Mhende Tribute 4 www.zimbabwerugby.com

 Official ZRU Newsletter
Caption describing picture or
graphic.
“The likes of Kenya, Namibia and
Blue Bulls to attend local
tournament”
The Goshawks - A History
The Goshawks principle stemmed from a
British Barbarians model, providing players
with an opportunity to showcase their
talent on the International stage.
It was set up by the then Rhodesian Rugby
Football Board in the 1960’s and players
selected for The Goshawks came from the
National Team as well as select
International Players such as John Robbie
(Ireland), Kevin De Klerk, Salty Du Rand
and Gysie Pienaar (Springboks) to name a
few.
Page 2
Cheetahs Claim Fourth Title cont...
(cont from page 1) ...have a chance to
redeem themselves . Fortunately this was
not the case as The Cheetahs showed big
match temperament to push aside the off
the ball nuisances and focus on winning.
Gardner Nechirongas long range try
turned the game in The Cheetahs favour as
they closed the game down to win 24-7.
The Cup Final meant The Cheetahs had to
face off against a very impressive Northern
region team. This select side from South
Africa was made up of the top players from
Valke, Pumas, Lions, Bulls, Limpopo Blue
Bulls, Lowveld and Leopards. They had
brushed aside everyone at the tournament
with pace, skill and power. The start was
perfect for the Northern region side as
they went into the break 10-0 up and
confident. However, The Cheetahs new the
situation, stuck to the game plan and
eventually romped home winners with a
Women on The Move
The tradition of the Goshawks, much like
The Barbarians, was to wear your
respective club socks while playing. A
unified team with amateur beginnings at
heart.
The Goshawks are still in participation
today, as recently as the Castle Sevens
Tournament in Lusaka, Zambia. They form
the development arm of the National
Sevens team and provide up and coming
players with regional and international
exposure.
last second try by Njabulo Ndlovu to win
19-10. Strength of character was shown by
the team as they fought smartly to come
from behind.
Sadly the game was marred by a nasty leg
injury to The Cheetahs scrumhalf, Taffy
Mhende. The game was in favour of The
Cheetahs as the heavier Northern Region
team were showing signs of fatigue and
cracks in the defences wall. This break gave
them the rest they needed. The
professional approach of The Cheetahs to
put aside the tragedy of their team mate
signaled a clear focus and desire to win the
match.
With a try saving tackle by Justin Coles in
the corner, The Cheetahs were able to turn
possession over, march downfield , apply
pressure with ball in hand and work rate
before sealing the victory.
The Goshawks captained by J. Engelbrecht and under the Presidency of K.T. Wood
The tournament also saw the development
team The Goshawks competing. Much was
expected of this side as many of them will
be vying for National Honours in time to
come. Unfittingly they did not click and
took four games too long to start playing
the brand of sevens that’s required to
compete at that level. Players like
Tafadzwa Chitokwindo, Paul Jessub, Justin
Becker, Jan Ferreira and Lloyd Machanjaira
did themselves proud with good
performances.
Applauds must go to the slightly built
Matabeleland side that struggled at first
before winning when they needed to, to
take home the Bowl Trophy after beating
the Zambian development team (Lechwe)
in the Bowl Final.
In all, another good weekend in Zambia for
Zimbabwe Rugby.
With an eye on the 2016 Olympics the
Pangolins are working hard at getting
game time and exposure. This year sees
their International calendar grow with
added games in Zambia, a visit to the Blue
Bulls Sevens tournament and the hosting
of their very own International
Tournament in Harare at the end of
October.
This tournament will include the likes of
Zambia, Botswana, Uganda, Swaziland,
Namibia, Kenya, Blue Bulls and the
Limpopo Blue Bulls.
Be sure to follow The Tackler to keep you
updated on the happenings of this
tournament.
 VOLUME 1

The Cote D’Ivoire Experience

With very little time to prepare, Coach Brighton As a result of this victory, this team that qualified as
Chivandire and his charges were facing a tough U19’s have booked their placed at the U20 Junior
assignment. The job involved putting a squad together of World Trophy in USA next year.
30 players two weeks out from the U19 World Cup
Qualifiers. The unavailability of some players who were Should Zimbabwe finish in the top four at this
tournament they will automatically book a place in
still in school made the task even more difficult.
the following years tournament. Should they fail, the
Nonetheless, the management team buckled up to face
process of re-qualifying as U19’s starts again.
the job at hand.
With talent, coaching and management staff like this,
Playing rugby in Central Africa is never easy, let alone in
Zimbabwe Rugby’s youth are paving their way
what would be considered harsh conditions. The team
forward for senior National representation.
under the captaincy of Bristol based Marco Mama had
players that had months before been to the Junior World A bright future awaits the Young Sables.
Trophy in Moscow. A strong leadership core proved
successful in keeping the focus, intensity and attitude
right for the challenge.
Captain Marco Mama leads from the front
The Young Sables as they are affectionately known,
bulldozed their way to the final to take on Namibia who
were no match for the Zimbabweans.

Coaches Corner

This month we speak with Sables Coach
Brendan Dawson:
How are the preparations going for the
Africa Cup Finals? It’s tough at the
moment with all the other rugby being
played, but the squad will resume training
shortly. Preparing for this tournament will
be vital to our success and the players
need to be working on their conditioning.
Which players do you see playing a key
role in this tournament? Players like
Jacques Leitao, Vakai Hove and Njabulo
Ndlovu will play a big role. We are looking
at a few of the U20 players to draft in as
well with an eye to the future.
Have you enjoyed the season thus far? This
season has been challenging, but with it
comes an excitement for the 2011 calendar.
We would like to show the Zimbabwe
public what The Sables can do. More test
matches means more exposure and quality
game time.
How is your Academy coming along? Very
well. In 6-8 weeks we’ll roll out the
development program for primary schools
in the Bulawayo townships.
A message for The Fans. Come out and
support. The public needs to believe in the “More test matches means more
team to assist it’s growth. exposure and quality game time”

Fan Focus

If you enjoy the game of rugby in Zimbabwe be it at schools, clubs or national level then consider
yourself a Fan. The Zimbabwe Rugby Community is a passionate one and the players that take to
the field every weekend appreciate your enthusiasm and support.

Zimbabwe Rugby hopes to showcase this talent on a regular basis and trusts that you The Fan
enjoy the whole experience. Be sure to follow this column each week as we seek to grow the
game and it’s following throughout Zimbabwe.

Each month will see our ‘Caption Photograph’ winner walk away with a prize. Be sure to be seen
at the games!

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A Tribute to Tafadzwa Mhende

Last weekend at the Castle Sevens Tournament in Lusaka, final score was! Fittingly the win in the final at the Castle
Zambia, Tafadzwa Mhende sustained a traumatic injury to Sevens was dedicated to Taffy by his fellow Cheetahs.
his leg. With only 2 ½ minutes left in the Cup Final of the
tournament. Taffy collided with a player from the Northern We also pay tribute to the support and assistance The
Region team and broke his leg. It took some 15 minutes to Cheetahs sponsor, SPAR, who ensured that these first vital
stabilise Taffy and move him to an ambulance. The care and steps of Taffy’s recovery were possible. The Cheetahs also
attention he received on the field from the ambulance crew, pay gratitude to the President of the Zimbabwe Rugby
a local trauma technician and the Zimbabwean physio Union, Themba Sibanda, for all of his support and assistance
Margie Gibson was outstanding. Further treatment during this time.
received at Victoria Hospital under the direction of local
Taffy has since returned from Zambia in good health, and
surgeon, Emmanuel Mwasa, was also first class. Taffy had
will be starting his rehabilitation program with immediate
surgery performed on his leg on Tuesday afternoon and we
effect.
all wish him a speedy recovery and return.
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union wishes Taffy a speedy recovery
Tafadzwa, ‘Taffy’, ‘Nai Jimbo’, ‘Mujaji’ Mhende is a special
and looks forward to his return to the playing field.
individual who shows strength of character way above his
physical stature. The tournament saw him time and again
as the last line of defence and he never missed a tackle. His
bravery and dedication to the Zimbabwe Sevens Team, the
Cheetahs, is something that legends are built of. His
constant endeavours for Zimbabwe Rugby, and for the
Get Well Soon!
Cheetahs, and his demeanour in dealing with this injury has
inspired all his colleagues. Whilst the surgeon was working
to stabilise his injury, all Taffy wanted to know was what the

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