BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – African rugby champions Zimbabwe will play two away Tests against the United Arab Emirates and South Korea in November, giving head coach Piet Benade the opportunity to try out different combinations ahead of next year’s make-or-break World Cup qualification competition.
The Sables’ tour of the Middle East and Asia will begin against the UAE on 5 November in Dubai, the first time the two sides will be playing against each other.
They will then proceed to South Korea for a training camp between 7 and 15 November before another historic Test match on the 16th, Zimbabwe’s first meeting with the East Asian nation.
“We are looking at giving an opportunity to a number of players who perhaps missed selection or weren’t available for the Africa Cup,” Benade told SportsCast on Sunday.
“The time together in November will be good for players to just touch base again and build on the processes that we are trying to put in place. Having a full year between Sables campaigns or matches is not ideal. This serves as a great opportunity to hopefully build on the momentum. So we need to thank our various partners, notably Nedbank, for making this tour possible. Time together with all coaches, and most of the top players, is a big challenge due to the costs. So apart from matches we will play, this will hopefully help us get a look at a few different players and build depth in our squad.”
Zimbabwe, number 28 on the world rankings, will be favourites in both November Tests. Benade is however expecting 33rd placed Korea and UAE (51st) to be worthy opponents for his team.
“We have seen the impact sport has had in the Middle East in terms of football and boxing, and the UAE rugby side is a well-funded and very professional Test side with ambitions to qualify for the World Cup through the Asia group,” commented Benade.
“South Korea are very close to Zimbabwe in world rankings and will provide a stern test and create an environment for our players and coaches to learn and develop. This will help us hopefully become a more complete and tougher side to play against in next year’s Africa Cup, which will serve as a World Cup qualifier.”
Zimbabwe were crowned African champions in Ugandan capital Kampala in July, their second title and first since 2012.
The Zimbabweans held their nerves to pull off a nail-biting 22-20 win over the hosts in the quarter-finals, their opening match of the 2024 tournament.
Benade’s men then turned on the style to blow past Namibia 35-10 and Algeria 29-3 in the semi-final and final respectively.
The Sables had lost to both teams last time the tournament was held, in 2022, while their win over the Namibians was their first of the arch-rivals in 22 years.
