Cheetahs secure fifth place at Safari Sevens
Zimbabwe’s Cheetahs finished fifth at the 2026 Safari Sevens in Nairobi, Kenya, after an encouraging campaign that saw them remain unbeaten throughout the pool stages before narrowly missing out on a place in the main Cup semi-finals.
The tournament, held at Nyayo National Stadium from October 9 to 11, provided another valuable test for the Cheetahs following their triumph at the Africa Men’s Sevens qualifier in Uganda, where they secured promotion to the World Rugby HSBC SVNS 3 competition.
Despite travelling with a development-focused squad featuring several new faces, Zimbabwe demonstrated their competitiveness against a strong field, finishing their campaign with four wins, a draw and a narrow quarter-final defeat.
The Cheetahs opened their campaign with a 22-14 victory over Wonder Sevens before overcoming South Africa’s GEL Squad 7s 24-17. Their final pool match saw them face hosts Kenya Morans in a closely contested encounter that ended 12-12.
That result ensured Zimbabwe progressed to the quarter-finals unbeaten, finishing second in Pool C behind the Morans on points aggregate.
The meeting with Kenya was particularly significant, offering the Cheetahs an opportunity to measure themselves against one of the region’s established sevens sides on home soil. Zimbabwe showed character to fight back and secure a draw, although both teams advanced to the knockout stages.
Zimbabwe’s hopes of reaching the Cup semi-finals were ended by the French Renegades, who edged the Cheetahs 17-12 in the quarter-finals. However, the team responded positively to the setback, beating Wonder 7s 17-12 in the fifth-place semi-final before finishing their tournament with a hard-fought 19-17 victory over SportPesa Fast Forward 7s.
The late win secured fifth place overall and provided a positive conclusion to a tournament that offered plenty of lessons for the Zimbabwean side.
Head coach Fortunate Chipendu was satisfied with the progress made by his players, particularly given the decision to use the tournament to broaden the squad and assess emerging talent.
With Zimbabwe having recently secured the Africa Men’s Sevens title and qualification for SVNS 3, the Safari Sevens was an opportunity to give new players exposure to a higher level of competition. The technical team was able to evaluate the squad’s match fitness, game awareness and ability to execute under pressure.
The fifth-place finish was therefore viewed as a fair reflection of the team’s performance, with several newcomers making a case for future selection.
However, there is still work to be done. Zimbabwe’s defensive organisation remains a key area for improvement, with the technical team concerned by the number of tries conceded and opportunities allowed to opponents. The Cheetahs also need to become more clinical when converting promising attacking movements into points.
These shortcomings will need attention as the team prepares for the World Rugby HSBC SVNS 3 competition in Dubai, where the ultimate objective will be to compete for promotion to the next level of international sevens rugby.
For the Cheetahs, fifth place in Nairobi is not the end goal. With a continental title already secured and a new group of players gaining experience, the focus now shifts to building squad depth and turning promising performances into sustained success on the international stage.