THERE is something good that Zimbabwe Rugby Union president, Aaron Jani, and his fellow board members are doing which has brought a breath of fresh air into the game, in the past few weeks.

The other day, they unveiled a US$120 000 sponsorship deal with Nedbank, which Jani conceded was the kind of strategic union which his union needed, for them to take the next giant step forward.

Then, this week, Seed-Co came on board and handed over kits to the Young Sables, who are also preparing for their international assignments, in due course.

It's the same week we have seen the Sables, the senior national rugby team, taking on their counterparts from Zambia, at Harare Sports Club, as part of their preparations for the Africa edition of the World Cup qualifiers.

The Sables, who are desperate to return to the Rugby World Cup, for the first time in 30 years, will also play Namibia, and South African provincial outfit Blue Bulls, while the Young Sables will also take on their Namibian counterparts.

The senior national women's rugby side have also been in action.

All this points to one thing, a ZRU leadership that is conscious of the responsibility they have, on their hands, to transform the face of rugby in this country.

They know that, ultimately, they will be measured by how our national teams do, in their international assignments and, there is no bigger target for them, and us as a country, than seeing the Sables return to the World Cup.

But, that cannot be achieved, without the backing of sponsors and that is why the ZRU leaders have been on a charm offensive, to bring as many corporate partners as possible into their tent so that they can, together, produce national teams, which can compete on the big stage.

However, corporate partners only come where they feel the environment, created by those in leadership positions, provides them with the right conditions for them to come in, and try and make a difference.

They will only commit themselves, where they feel their financial investment will not be abused, by those tasked with leading these sports organisations, to line up their pockets, at the expense of the sports disciplines, which these people lead.

Only when they get the guarantees, that their sponsorship will end up being used for its intended purposes, do such high-profile sponsors, like Nedbank, finally decide to confirm the union.

Given they have to protect their image, from being sucked into the negativity which stalks the sporting disciplines, who are under the guidance of men, and women of questionable integrity, such big sponsors tend to keep their distance, where they feel the risk of contamination is high.

So, when they finally decide to come on board, they would have done all their due diligence and got the report that they are not plunging into a messy relationship which, at the end of the day, will backfire terribly, damaging the profile of their organisation.

"As Nedbank Zimbabwe, we are totally elated to be part of this experience where we plant a modest investment into Zimbabwe Rugby Trust," said Nedbank executive head, for sales and origin, Heresy Herry.

"As you embark on a journey to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, we want to be front and centre in terms of making that possible.

"Ultimately, we also aspire to see rugby growing; we need to see more in the formally marginalised communities, I am sure we would like to see the next Tendai Mtawarira coming out of Mpopoma, Nkulumane or even coming out of Mkoba in Gweru.

"That is our aspiration as Nedbank."

For Jani and his fellow ZRU leaders, this is a big test, which they have passed, getting Nedbank into their corner, and also bringing on board Seed-Co, to brand the Young Sables.

Going into bed with such reputable entities doesn't only unlock the value, which comes from the direct investment which they will pump into the structures of the ZRU but, and this is crucial, it sends positive signals, to other big companies, to also consider following the same path.

Those companies will now be asking themselves, if a fellow leading firm like Nedbank and Seed-Co can go into bed with the ZRU, it means this is a terrain they can also explore, in terms of both investment and partnership, without having to worry about risking reputational damage.

This is why we are charmed by what we have seen in domestic rugby, in the past few days, and we feel Jani and his team deserve to be saluted, for executing their mandate well and, also, to use this as a springboard, for them to bring more corporate partners on board.

Rugby is the third biggest sporting discipline in our country, in terms of historical achievements, the big constituency which follows it and the massive potential that it has, to provide us with a code which can play at the World Cup again.

Our schools have some of the most talented rugby players in the world but we lose the majority of them, before they commit themselves to play for this country, because of the challenges which have stalked this game in the past, especially its failure to provide them with an environment to play the game for a living.

This has to change and we are excited that we seem to have found a leadership that cares for the sport and wants to drag it forward, rather than backwards, as was the case in the past.

Hopefully, other national sports leaders are watching what is unfolding in our rugby.

Copyright The Herald. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source News Service English