Dubai: Zimbabwe Sevens players hope to use rugby as a medium of putting a smile back on the faces of their countrymen.
President Robert Mugabe's heavy-handed style of governance has cast the southern African nation into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons and most Zimbabweans view sport as a means of transporting themselves away from the harsh reality of life back home.
This, precisely, is where the Zimbabwe Sevens players hope to play their part.
The team, playing in Pool F of the ongoing Rugby World Cup Sevens, hasn't done very well in Dubai.
They lost their opening match of the campaign 31-5 to Wales and lost 40-5 to Argentina before narrowly beating Uruguay 28-24 to qualify for the Bowl competition.
And they hope to succeed in their ultimate battle of giving their countrymen something to be smile about.
Captain Jacques Leitao said: "We try and stay away from all the politics and just concentrate on our rugby. The International Rugby Board helps us a lot and that's where we get all our funding from.
"Rugby is at a high in Zimbabwe at the moment and we are trying to achieve good results for the people so that the sport is pushed in the right direction."
Echoing similar sentiments, head coach Liam Middleton said his players keep away from politics and focus only on their rugby.
"Zimbabwe is a country which is really passionate about its rugby. These guys are hugely enthusiastic about the way they play," Middleton said. "When we're in tournaments we just try and play our way and try and do well for Zimbabwe. I wouldn't say the players let it [politics] affect them, they're more keen on doing well because most of them earn their livelihood out of playing so it's important for them to do well for their country.
"We had a disappointing start against Wales and Argentina. Losing your first two games obviously isn't the best way to start, but we've beaten Uruguay comfortably and that's a positive and now we'll look forward..." said Middleton.
