Zimbabwe edge Namibia to secure historic Rugby World Cup qualification

The Zimbabwe Sables have sealed their ticket to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia after a hard fought 30-28 victory over Namibia in the Rugby Africa Cup final held in Kampala. This is the first time they are heading to the tournament via the qualification process as they had previously been Africa’s default candidates at the inaugural tournament in 1987 and the 1991 tournament.

Namibia struck first through a Cliven Loubser penalty, but Zimbabwe’s Ian Prior quickly responded with one of his own to level the scores. The two continued trading penalties, keeping the early stages evenly balanced at 6-6.

The Sables then broke the deadlock when inside centre Kudzai Mashawi crossed the whitewash for the game’s first try, which Prior converted to give Zimbabwe the advantage. Loubser trimmed the gap with another penalty, but Prior kept the scoreboard ticking for the Sables with yet another three-pointer.

Namibia captain Prince Gaoseb powered over for a try just before the break, bulldozing past Mashawi in the process. Loubser’s successful conversion brought the teams level at 16-16 going into halftime.

After the restart, Zimbabwe regained the lead when lock Geoffrey Muzanargwo dotted down, with Prior adding the conversion. The Sables kept the pressure on, and Brandon Mudzekenyezi widened the gap with a well-finished try, again converted by the reliable Prior, pushing the score to 30-16.

Namibia refused to go down without a fight. They hit back immediately from the kickoff with a try out wide, though Loubser’s conversion attempt sailed wide. The South-West Africans continued to push and were rewarded when Adrian Booysen crossed the line in the 70th minute, with Tiaan Swanepoel adding the extras to cut the deficit to just two points.

Despite a tense final 10 minutes, Zimbabwe held firm to clinch the win and secure their place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup marking a significant milestone for the Sables and African rugby.