Matthew McNab
| Date of birth | 8 June 1998 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Place of birth | Bulawayo, Zimbabwe[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.87 m (6 ft 1+1⁄2 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 99 kg (15.6 st; 218 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rugby union career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Matthew McNab (born 8 June 1998) is a Zimbabwe rugby union player, currently playing for the Doncaster Knights in the RFU Championship. His preferred position is centre or wing.[2] He is the son of Zimbabwe mountainbiker Lee McNab who raced at the 2007 UCI African Mountain Bike Championships[3]
Professional career
McNab represented Zimbabwe Academy in the 2019 Rugby Challenge.[4] He was then named in the Zimbabwe Goshawks squad for the 2022 Currie Cup First Division.[5] He joined Hartpury University in 2020,[6] and joined Worcester Warriors on loan in 2022.[7]
International career
Having played consistently for Zimbabwe's age-grade sides,[8] McNab made his full international debut against Morocco in Zimbabwe's 2018 Rugby Africa Gold Cup campaign, going on to play in each of Zimbabwe's five matches and scoring one try against Kenya. He returned to the side in the 2021-22 Africa Cup, playing in each of Zimbabwe's five matches and scoring six tries, including a brace and a hat-trick in consecutive matches against Burkina Faso.
After Zimbabwe's failed 2023 Rugby World Cup qualification campaign, McNab took time away from international rugby, initially as Zimbabwe did not compete in test rugby at all in 2023, and then due to his move to play club rugby in England for Cornish Pirates.[9] After two successful seasons with the Pirates, in both of which McNab was selected in the RFU Championship team of the season,[10][11] McNab agreed a move to Doncaster Knights and returned to Zimbabwe's squad for their 2025 Rugby Africa Cup campaign. McNab started in Zimbabwe's semi-final and final wins against Kenya and Namibia respectively as Zimbabwe became African champions and qualified for the 2027 World Cup, marking the country's first appearance at the World Cup since 1991.
References
- ^ https://cornish-pirates.com/players-staff/matt-mcnab/
- ^ "Matthew McNab". Ultimate Rugby. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "The world centre of cycling". Autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ^ "Squad: Zimbabwe Academy". South African Rugby Union. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Zimbabwe Goshawks". SA Rugby. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ "Rugby ace McNab sets sights on Premiership move". The Standartimd. 8 December 2019. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ "McNab impresses on Worcester loan stint". The Standard. 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
- ^ Makwavarara, Vimbayi (1 July 2025). "BREAKING: Zimbabwe name 31-man squad for World Cup qualifiers in Uganda". SportsCast. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ "'I'll put my best foot forward for the team.' England-based star Matt McNab relishing Sables comeback ahead of Rugby Africa Cup". ZimsportLive. 6 July 2025. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ "RFU Championship team of the season". r/rugbyunion. 7 June 2024. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
- ^ https://x.com/ChampClubsPod/status/1930640822870913101. Retrieved 23 July 2025.
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External links
- Matthew McNab at ItsRugby.co.uk