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WITH LOVE FROM SOUTH AFRICA . . . Former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers (right) addresses a media briefing in Harare yesterday in the company of Zimbabwe Rugby Union official Lawson Mtongwizo

Takudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
FORMER Springboks coach Peter de Villiers says Zimbabwe is bubbling with rugby talent and sees a bright future for the game in this country. The South African has emerged as a front runner for the Sables post after he underwent an interview in Harare yesterday.

He is in the country, where he is also helping the national Under-20 side prepare for a tournament to be held in Namibia. De Villiers, a veteran award-winning coach, helped the Young Sables go through their paces at Harare Sports Club on Monday evening and yesterday.

“I think it will be an honour if the ZRU (Zimbabwe Rugby Union) engage me, but if it goes the other way, well, no hard feelings. I will always be around to help the country develop the sport at any level,’’ he said.

“If the ZRU believe I am one of the best candidates and engage me, then I look forward to work with you the media as well.’’ De Villiers said there was a lot of talent in the country and, in the next four years, changes are likely to be seen, with the game getting better in this country.

“I think in the next four years, we will see changes and who doesn’t need change? There are good coaches around, but the thing is resources are mainly drawn from schools, which becomes a challenge. Talent needs to be complimented with hard work and through that we can unveil a lot of talent.

“If we take responsibility, we can go a long way and nowadays rugby is no longer just a sport, but a lifestyle on its own. The youngsters were very open-minded and asked some good questions about their careers,” said De Villiers. ZRU representative Lawson Mtongwizo said there were some prospective candidates to feel the seat left vacant when Cyprian Mandenge was sacked last year.

“There is a lot of work as we look for a new Sables coach as we are rushing against time for the 2019 World Cup qualifiers. We are only left with five months before the qualifiers, so we need someone who will hit the ground running as time is not on our side.

“At the moment, we are only focusing with the head coach role as mixing it with the technical director’s role will consume more time ahead of the qualifiers. There are four-shortlisted candidates for the job and they include De Villiers, ex-New Zealand boss John Mitchell and British coach Collin Osborne, who was the Sables coach between 1993 and 1996, as well as former Sables coach Brendon Dawson,” said Mtongwizo.

The 60-year-old De Villiers was coach of the Springboks, who have won the World Cup twice in their history, from 2008 to 2011. Last year, reports emerged in South Africa that De Villiers could make a shock return as Springboks coach. Dawson led the Sables to the Africa Cup title in 2012 before just falling short of leading the side to the 2015 Rugby World Cup hosted by England. The Sables endured a dismal campaign in the 2017 Gold Cup, where they only beat Senegal and lost to Kenya, Namibia, Uganda and Tunisia.