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The Cheetahs, Zimbabwe’s Sevens men’s rugby side, are gearing themselves up for the first two legs of the IRB Sevens in Dubai and George.

Zimbabwe won the Bowl at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in March and part of the preparation to build on that success this year will see them participate at the Namibia Sevens tournament at Windhoek at the end of the month.

Cheetahs manager and former Zimbabwe Rugby Union president Bruce Hobson indicated that they have already started preparations for the tournament but they were unlikely to go into camp for the international tournament.

This means players based in Harare will be in a programme he is going to supervise up to September 21 while players based in Bulawayo will be under the guidance of coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba.

Hobson indicated this was because they will be travelling with a development side popularly known as the Goshawks.

"I am not sure yet if we are going to have a camp but since we are travelling by road we will pick the Bulawayo players and proceed and Gilbert will be taking care of the boys in Bulawayo while I do the same here (in Harare)," said Hobson.

Although the players in the academy are likely to dominate the Goshawks, Hobson has warned against his players becoming complacent by thinking they would be automatic choices for the tour.

"Training has already started with a number of players taking part in the Sevens Academy at Old Georgians where also a number of players who were in the Under-19 side to Kenya are taking part.

"We are also travelling to Namibia with our developmental side the Goshawks and it’s good that some of the players we are taking there are part of the academy where we teach them how to play Sevens.

"It is good that we take a developmental team each time we travel for such tournaments and that is the reason we had to fundraise with the raffle a few weeks ago," Hobson said.

Players currently in Bulawayo include RWC Sevens squad members Gardner Nechironga and Slatter Ndlovu while the Under-19 trio of Prince Edward’s Charles Jiji, captain Graham Kaulback and fullback Danny Robertson are part of the academy.

Summer series

With the Summer Series underway, Hobson is taking advantage of the event to add onto his list of players those he believes will add quality to both the Cheetahs and the Goshawks.

"It’s also good that the Summer Series is on and we are also looking at the players that take part in the event and if there are any interesting players we will not hesitate to call them and have a look at them.

"It’s also good to note that Mabvuku (Rugby Club) have made a return to the Summer Series and from there we have also identified Fortune Chipendo’s brother for trials at the Goshawks.

"And we definitely hope to see more talent from the showcase," Hobson said.

But Hobson initially did not expect the Namibia tournament to be as big as it has turned out to be with the likes of Canada, and other European teams confirming they will be taking part at the tournament.

"But all the same we have to prepare for it just like any other international tournament and we have to take advantage of it as well because at the end of next month we will be travelling to South Africa for a similar tournament.

"And these two tournaments will help us in preparing for the IRB Sevens in Dubai and George tournaments at the end of the year."