Next-generation financial services platform Mukuru (www.Mukuru.com), one of the most recognisable fintech brands on the continent, has announced that it is sponsoring Zimbabwe’s national rugby team as it seeks to achieve Rugby World Cup qualification, the first since 1991.

With the hopes of a nation on their shoulders, the Sables, as the national team is known, will run out against Zambia on 4 May sporting Mukuru’s branding on the beloved national jersey for the first time.

The Sables are admired in Zimbabwe and around the continent, known for their attacking style of play, technical acuity and sportsmanship. The team, blessed with talent and a rejuvenated system, is confident of its prospects of qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Mukuru, which has over 16-million customers in 50 countries, can trace its roots back to Zimbabwe, which remains a crucial and important market for the multinational fintech.

Brandon Mncube, Chief Marketing Officer at Mukuru, says the sponsorship of the Sables made sense as the team displays the same passion and love for the country as Mukuru. “We are incredibly excited to be sponsoring Zimbabwe’s national rugby team. The Sables are eyeing World Cup qualification and with their revitalised systems in place and the formidable talent at their disposal, we wanted to give them the best possible chance of living up to their potential,” he says.

“The Sables embody the same passion that has seen Mukuru grow exponentially across the continent. Just as we are passionately driven to provide relevant and competitive financial services products that delight our customers in Zimbabwe and abroad, one gets a real sense of the confidence in this team – all the way down from administrators, to the coaches and of course, the players. Mukuru is backing the Sables to achieve their goal.”

Rugby fans have a great season of excitement in store, as the Sables are set to take on formidable opponents such Zambia, Uganda and the Netherlands over the next few months.

Commenting on the team’s new sponsorship, Sables Head Coach Pieter Benade had the following to say: “We are delighted that a financial company as big as Mukuru recognised our commitment and passion to deliver the kind of rugby success that Zimbabweans deserve. Their sponsorship will go a long way towards enabling our journey to achieve our goal of 2027 World Cup qualification.”