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A new tournament set to take place in Zimbabwe next month is under threat due to a clash with the Africa Cup.

The Harare competition, set for the weekend of November 13 and 14, clashes with the Confederation of African Rugby Africa Cup tournament where Zimbabwe has since reached the semi-finals of the 15s event.

The event is the brainchild of Zimbabwe (Cheetahs) Sevens Team Manager Bruce Hobson has admitted they are looking to now host the event early next year.

“It is not looking good at the moment with the Confederation of African Rugby tournament on the same weekend,” Hobson told the Zimbabwe Independent.

“Everything had been planned and we were ready but we have to play in that 15s tournament where we have reached the semi-finals, we can’t possibly have the two at the same time so we are already looking at January or February next year.”

Hobson also said that there was so much going on in the next three months that it would be difficult to fit in that tournament before the end of the year. He also ruled out a lack of funding as a reason for the shelving of the much anticipated tournament.

The Cheetahs were expected to host some of the continental rivals, including Botswana, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa and Madagascar in Harare.

The Gilbert Nyamutsamba-coached Cheetahs have been playing well in their last few outings, making it to the finals of two tournaments on the trot in the last three weeks. They made it to the final of the Castle Sevens in Zambia and were again losing finalists to powerhouses Springboks of South Africa in the Platinum Sevens tournament in Rustenburg last weekend.

The Cheetahs will participate in Namibia in November and will also be involved in the opening two legs of the 2010/11 IRB Sevens World Series legs in Dubai and George at the beginning of December.