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FANCIED former Zimbabwe Rugby Union vice-president Aaron Jani has joined in the race for the Union’s top job ahead of the annual meeting set for the Prince Edward School pavilion next Thursday.

Current vice-president (South) Nyararai Sibanda is also in the race and was largely tipped to take over from John Falkenberg who decided not to seek re-election at the end of his four year term.

But that was before Jani’s name popped up.

And it seems the tables might turn in favour of the former Sables winger who was vice-president to Sithembilenkosini “Themba” Sibanda in 2010, two years before Falkenberg came into power.

Falkenberg had been in power for four years having taken over from Sibanda.

However, one Joe Kawonza from Old Hararians is understood to have withdrawn from the president’s race after learning of Jani’s interest and will now stand in the race for vice-presidency at the annual indaba.

But the Harare businessman was not completely out of the rugby circles as he served as the Under-20 Young Sables chairman, a team that qualified for the then Junior World Rugby Trophy tournament three times in a row under his leadership.

There he was working with Colleen de Jong – who is now the ZRU chief executive – as administration manager and he managed to source sponsorship for the side and forged a number of partnerships with the likes of Casters Olympique – a French rugby club – where they camped for a week on their way to the JWRT United States edition in 2012.

Having played for the Sables just before the turn of the millennium, Jani could become the first president who played the game at this level in more than 18 years. – sportszone.co.zw