The Champ Rugby star set to face England at the 2027 World Cup

This interview was conducted in conjunction with What’s All The Ruckus? — a weekly podcast featuring Tier 2 and 3 international rugby guests.

For centre Matt McNab, who plays his club rugby for Doncaster Knights in the English Championship, the draw contains a deeply personal twist: a chance to face the nation where he now plies his trade.

The 2027 tournament will mark Zimbabwe’s first World Cup appearance in over 25 years, having last featured in 1991. Their qualification—secured through back-to-back triumphs in the 2024 and 2025 Rugby Africa Cups—seals a remarkable resurgence for a team that has spent decades chasing Namibia for Africa’s final World Cup spot.

Zimbabwe’s revival has been built on breaking their greatest barrier: Namibia. Long the continent’s dominant force behind South Africa, the Welwitschias had repeatedly stood between Zimbabwe and the World Cup. That changed in 2024, when the Sables stunned the nine-time champions in the semi-final of the Rugby Africa Cup—their first victory over Namibia in 23 years.

They repeated the feat in 2025, edging Namibia 30–28 in a dramatic final to book their World Cup place and rise to 24th in the world rankings. For McNab, those victories carried enormous emotional weight.

“Namibia has been a nemesis for Zimbabwe since the last time we qualified for a World Cup in 1991. They’ve always had the upper hand on us mentally,” McNab said.

“I played Namibia four times for the Sables, lost four times, this was the fifth time and for me to beat them was amazing in itself just because it was a huge mental battle as much as a physical one.”

McNab, who has been a mainstay at centre for Doncaster Knights—currently 10th in the English Championship—will now prepare to face players he regularly watches across the Premiership.

For many in the English second tier, the World Cup is a distant aspiration. For McNab, it’s about to become reality.

“If you ask any player in the Championship who may not play for England ever, if you were to ask them if they would like to play at a World Cup for another country, they would say yes straight away,” he said.

“For me knowing that I will go to a World Cup is something that any kid will dream of. Obviously we want to compete, we want to try and win games, but to go and play the best of the best on the world stage is out of this world.”

The clash with England—a side stacked with Premiership stars—will be particularly special. As a Championship player, McNab sees this as not only an honour but a rare opportunity to measure himself against elite competition.

Zimbabwe’s pool is, by any measure, unforgiving. England and Wales bring heavyweight pedigree. Tonga provides immense physicality and likely experience. But inside Zimbabwe’s camp, the mood is not fearful—it’s hungry, hopeful and daring.

Facing giants on the world stage is precisely what the program has spent years working toward.

After two decades of heartbreak, near-misses, and finishing behind Namibia “countless” times in qualification cycles, the Sables have earned their seat at the table. Now, they aim to prove they belong.