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Brandon Moyo, [email protected]

IAN Prior’s return to Zimbabwe to represent his country at the forthcoming 2024 Rugby Africa Cup has been a surreal moment for the 33-year-old utility back.

Prior was named in the 28-member squad for the continental showpiece, which gets underway in Uganda on Saturday and since joining the camp just over a week ago, the former Western Force skipper has enjoyed his time back home. It has been his first week in Zimbabwe since 1999 and cherishes the moment.

With only a couple of days remaining before they get down to business in the East African nation, Prior said the team has their eyes set on the target that lies ahead. He added that he has – so far – enjoyed the mood in camp with the rest of the Sables squad and believes there is some catching up he needs to do.

“It’s pretty surreal to be honest, the last time I was here was in 1999 when Aussie played Zimbabwe in a Test. It all feels surreal to be honest but very exciting to be here. There is a lot of great energy in the camp and obviously the guys are pretty ambitious with what they want to achieve, both as a group and for the country and rugby in the country.

“Everyone has been welcoming, very friendly, lots of slang and lots of words, Shona words that I’ll need to brush up on that I have been rusty on, but it all has been good fun so far,” said Prior. The Sables open their Africa Cup campaign against the hosts, Uganda on Saturday at the Mandela National Stadium in Namboole, Kampala.

A win against the Cranes will see them book a spot in the semi-final where they will face the winner between Namibia and Burkina Faso on July 24. Prior believes that teamwork and hard work are the only things that will lead them to continental glory. As head coach, Piet Benade previously alluded, Prior also wants to see the Sables become the pride of the nation.

The Sables are looking forward to the challenge.“There’s no secret, recipe or sauce, it’s pretty basic what you need to do, you have to work out as a group, spend some good quality time together, be well-resourced and to play for each other. At the end of the day rugby comes down to playing for the person on either side of you and the greater purpose of playing for your country is to give people of the nation hope, whether it be for sport or any other facet in life.

“It’s a challenge that we want to walk towards and one that we are excited to try and take out. Everyone is very friendly here, everyone always has a smile on their face no matter what is going on, it’s really good to be back,” said Prior.
The Sables are set to depart for Kampala today.

The Rugby Africa Cup serves as the first step towards qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The Rugby Africa Cup is a continental men’s rugby union tournament organised by Rugby Africa. The 2024 edition of the tournament features eight nations and these are: Burkina Faso, Namibia, Senegal, Kenya, Algeria, Cote d’Ivoire, Uganda and Zimbabwe. — @brandon_malvin