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Tinashe Kusema

IT has been less than a week since Rugby Africa released the fixtures for this year’s Africa Cup and interim coach Piet Benade is already starting to lose sleep over his new gig as the Zimbabwe senior men’s head coach.

The Sables kick off the annual tournament with an away quarterfinal clash to Uganda on July 18.

Rather than just face the prospect of being relegated from the eight-team tournament- which also includes Kenya, Senegal, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Namibia and Cote d’Ivoire- the Sables will also have to ensure a top-four finish if they entertain any hopes of qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

A win over Uganda ensures that and a loss effectively rules them out of the running for next year’s qualification rounds.

“The fixtures were released a couple of days ago, and already they are keeping me up at night,” said Benade.

“Uganda are a tricky fixture and Zimbabwe doesn’t particularly travel well.

“Our most recent trip to Kenya last year did not go as well as we had planned and it was an eye-opening experience.

“However, we put our house in order, connect all the necessary dots like finances and game time for our players then I believe we will give them (Uganda) the fight of their lives,” he said.

Benade, of course, was recently unveiled as the new interim head coach of the Zimbabwe Sables, joining the likes of Ian Buchanan (1990-92), Colin Osborne (92-96), Godwin Murambiwa (2001-02), Brighton Chivandire (2004), Cyprian Mandenge (2011 and 2015-17), Peter de Villiers (2018-19) and most recently Brendon Dawson (2019-2023).

He was unveiled at a small function held at Old Hararians Friday night and quickly got a little teary when narrating his story from being a former Zimbabwe Sables international himself to coach now.

“I get emotionally invested very easily and it all began the first time the Sables were in Stellenbosch (for the Curry Cup First Division),” said the new Sables gaffer.

“I stayed not far from where the team where the team was training and decided to pop by for a visit.

“I saw Dawson alone with the team as Danny Hondo had to return to school and the defence coach Liam Middleton wasn’t there yet and Dawsy was running the show alone.

“That is actually how I got involved and decided to stay on for another term (2022) as it was a World Cup qualification year.

“Being with the boys during the qualification process and sharing their disappointment when we failed to make it to Paris made it easier to accept the offer to coach when it came,” he said.

Coincidentally, this little nugget was also a big part in Benade getting the job as he already knew the players and culture of Zimbabwe rugby as Zimbabwe Rugby Union president Aaron Jani mentioned in his address.

Benade was the Murambiwa-led technical committee’s choice and he unanimously got the board’s approval.

The former Zimbabwe Sables international now has to navigate past Uganda and has identified World Cup qualification as his short-term goal.

His overall goal, however, is to serve and give back.

“Whether I am here for five months or years, I want the legacy I leave behind is that there will be a lot of rugby being played at all levels,” said Benade.

“If we can actively go and find matches for the guys to play (at international level), and we need to ensure all the guys (local and foreign-based) play a lot of rugby and improve their skills. Hopefully, we can have players uplifted, our local clubs vibrant and the guys playing 15-20 matches a year.

“The best way to do all these is to get the results when it matters and that starts with Uganda in July,” he said.