‘Elation, relief and tears’: The Aussie at the heart of Zimbabwe’s 34-year drought-breaking RWC qualification

Late on Tuesday, Ian Prior – the once Junior Wallabies halfback, who played for the Reds, Brumbies and Western Force – returned to Perth’s International Airport and was greeted by his daughter, who was holding up a poster.

It read: ‘World Cup, here we come.’

A few days earlier, the 34-year-old helped create some history in Zimbabwe by steering the African nation into the 2027 World Cup after edging Namibia 30-28 in Uganda.

By doing so, the Sables snapped a three-decade drought, having last featured in the tournament in 1991 – a moment that sparked national celebrations, with bus tours across the country following.

In the thick of it was Prior, the crafty halfback whose career took an unusual and unforeseen turn 18 months earlier.

“It was a lot of elation and also a lot of relief,” Prior told The Roar.

“We’ve had a few players and coaches there that had had unsuccessful campaigns previously where they’d just come up short, so to have qualified for the first time since 1991 was a pretty euphoric moment. Lots of jubilation, lots of relief, lots of tears, lots of hugging, emotions, you name it, it was all in there.”

Prior scored 15 crucial points in the final to help set up the win as the Sables survived a late Namibian raid. He was named player of the tournament.

So how big was the night?

“It wasn’t actually a huge night, to be fair,” the veteran halfback said. “We obviously had a few beers and a bit of celebration in the change rooms with families and partners and sponsors.

“It took us an hour and a half to get back to the hotel because of Ugandan traffic. So, the bus ride was quite fun. Lots of songs on the bus, lots of local language and just celebrating. When we got back, we just had a few beers by the fire and I think just reflected on a pretty big moment in history for Zimbabwe rugby.”

For Prior, last weekend’s moment of glory was more than just a game of footy. It was a full-circle moment, having moved to the African country with his Zimbabwean parents as a three-year-old and lived there until he was ten.

“I’ve got really fond memories,” Prior said.

“All our family, extended family, were farmers. We lived in the city. Dad was in commodity trading. I’ve got great memories of childhood there going on family holidays on houseboats on Lake Kariba, fishing the Zambezi River, going to all our family’s farms. It was a great way of life. But, unfortunately, the unrest that happened in the country in the early 2000s contributed to us moving back (to Australia). And then all our extended family getting removed from their farms. So, they all came as well.”

Prior carved out a career spanning almost 15 years in Australian rugby, which included a Super Rugby title in his maiden season in 2011.

But stuck behind Will Genia, Nick Phipps and, later, Nic White, Prior’s hopes of playing for the Wallabies never eventuated.

So when Zimbabwean officials came knocking on the door once again last year to ask whether he’d be a part of their World Cup qualifying campaign, the retiring Force halfback jumped at the chance.

“They’d approached me the last few World Cup cycles,” Prior said.

“Obviously, I’d always had Wallabies ambitions, but never quite got there. I got close a couple of times, but when I was wrapping up with the Force and they approached me, I just thought it’s now or never.

“Similar to when I came back for the Western Force, it was the purpose behind the story that really captivated me. So coming back to the Western Force to be part of the rebuild and keep the pathways alive for young boys and girls meant a lot to me personally. And it was the same with going back to Zim. It was the chance to contribute in a small way and hopefully create a little bit of history for Zim rugby.”

Zimbabwe celebrates qualifying for the World Cup for the first time since 1992. Photo: Supplied

And so kick-started a whirlwind 12 months that took Prior to parts of the globe he never expected to play rugby in.

“We won the Africa Cup last year and beat Namibia for the first time since 2003, which gave the guys a lot of confidence heading into this year,” Prior said.

“From there we went on the spring tour with them where we played UAE and South Korea over in South Korea in November and then geared up for the same tournament this year with the Africa Cup – and we knew that the winner takes all gets the ticket to the World Cup.”

Prior’s return to Zimbabwe was the first time he had returned to the country in 24 years, while his parents were also returned this month to witness their boy boot the Sables into the World Cup.

“It meant a lot to my family,” Proir said. “My mum and dad who grew up in Rhodesia, who had seen the green and white hoops. I think watching them previously play in Craven, the Currie Cup. And even when they played the All Blacks back in the day, everyone speaks about it with pride.

“So, when I gave mum and dad my jumper from last year’s Africa Cup, it meant a lot to them. And you could tell in their faces how much it meant.

“This year they were able to actually come over for the tournament. So, they were in the crowd for all three games, which was really special.”

Along the way, Prior did plenty to help ignite the rugby flame in the country, which ranks behind football and cricket in popularity.

“Before our semi-final, our team manager, who’s a former Sables player himself, talked about some of the previous campaigns they’d been on and getting a couple of hundred US dollars for playing for their country for a month and coming back after winning the previous Africa Cup and getting bottle openers as their congratulations,” Prior said.

“To see how we’ve come, especially given we’re still one of the least funded nations in the world, is pretty special.

“To write our chapter in Zimb rugby history and give a chance to the young boys and girls running around Zimb to see that there’s a pathway to represent their country at the highest level at the World Cup is something I’ll remember when I’m sitting back in my rocking chair one day.”