The Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has officially confirmed the retirement of Sables and Cheetahs player Shayne Makombe after 13 years in the National team set-up.
The ZRU announced on Friday that Makombe will be ending his stay with the national teams. He was part of the 2022 squad that featured in the Rugby Africa Cup squad that finished third in the campaign.
Zimbabwe’s Shayne Makombe
He made six Africa Cup appearances and represented the Cheetahs in the Rugby 7s World Cup tournament in San Francisco in 2018.
“The Zimbabwe Rugby Union and Sables Trust wish to announce the official retirement of Shayne Makombe from Zimbabwe Rugby as a player. Shayne has been an integral team player of The Zimbabwe Sables and The Cheetahs since 2011.
“Throughout his illustrious 13-year career, he achieved many milestones, which include his participation in the Zimbabwe U19s Safari 7s from 2009 to 2010, 6 Africa Cups, and 1 7s World Cup tournament in San Francisco, 2018,” the Union announced.
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Following his exit, he will continue serving as a coach and coordinator. He will serve as a satellite coach responsible for Europe-based Zimbabwean players.
“Shayne, who has been based in France since 2017, will continue to be dedicated to rugby as a coach and coordinator. In his next chapter, he will contribute to Zimbabwe rugby as a satellite coach responsible for Europe-based Zimbabwean players. In France, he has also been appointed as Manager and Head of Girls Rugby at Compiegne Rugby Club.
“To extend his coaching experience, he is also studying towards his Level 3 qualification at the prestigious French National Rugby Centre in Marcoussis, Paris. As a former national player, Shayne would like to give back to the Zimbabwean rugby community and organizes the yearly Elite Christmas Rugby camp, which was established in 2023 and will also be extended to Matabeleland in the coming months. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors, and we have no doubt that he will continue to make an impact in the rugby community in Zimbabwe and beyond,” ZRU announced.
