Edward Sigauke: ‘There’s a record at Quins that I’m looking to destroy’

Edward Sigauke could well become one of the hottest properties in the game. But right now, he’s a raw talent on the periphery of top-level Prem rugby.

With a whole career ahead of him, and a plethora of unknown possibilities out there, his fate is limited by nothing, and at a recent Harlequins media day, his enthusiasm reflected this reality.

The 22-year-old from Zimbabwe entered the host room with a huge smile on his face, and walked around shaking hands with every single person there – about 20 of us in total.

Clearly taking everything in his stride, even the weather, which he branded “horrific, terrible and awful“, he was really keen to stop for a chat.

For a man who seemed to be so comfortable in his surroundings, it’s hard to believe that just a few months ago he was playing for Varsity College in South Africa, with no real experience of England.

Despite the challenges of moving halfway across the world, he’s been enjoying his time in the country, telling Planet Rugby: “Being in a new place, no family, it gets a bit hard sometimes, but I think everyone’s been really cool. Lads rallying around me and stuff, asking if I need anything. So yeah, it’s been cool. Enjoyed it so far.”

“Bro, I actually was talking to Darcy Graham”

Sigauke grew up in Zimbabwe, being educated at Lomagundi College in Chinhoyi, a long way from south west London, so it’s particularly understandable when he says that he keeps in regular contact with his family back home.

Keen to update his loved ones on his exploits in the UK, he said: “I try my best to call them. They probably think I’m annoying them at this point, but I try to call them as much as I can.”

Of course, the young man will have experienced a whole host of exciting events to share with those back in Zimbabwe, but somewhat surprisingly, when asked what news he was most thrilled to tell his family back home, he discussed his excitement of meeting a certain Scottish winger.

“I remember when I played here first at the Stoop, and we played Edinburgh, and Darcy Graham was playing. I saw him after the game and I fanboyed, absolutely fanboyed. I told him, ‘bro, I’ve been watching [your] videos since I was in high school.’

“So I remember one time [I told] my sister like, ‘bro, I actually was talking to Darcy Graham,’ which was cool. He probably thought I was a weirdo, but yeah, that was good.”

Graham was an interesting choice of rugby idol, not because he’s not one of the world’s best wingers, but because the idea of a Scotsman being pinned up as a poster by a young man in Zimbabwe is just strangely humorous.

So why Graham? Well, once Sigauke explained, the similarities became rather obvious.

“I think with a similar playing style, like, he’s super quick, he’s smart as well, an intelligent player; footwork on him is crazy. That’s what I like about his game.

“I can only emulate players that fit into how I play as well. I’m not going to be looking at like taller players and stuff. So Darcy’s a similar build and stuff. So super cool.”

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“There’s a record at Quins that I’m looking to destroy”

His similarities to Graham in attack are clear. Both are of similar stature, with speed to burn and a simple refusal to be brought down by the first would-be tackler, but the young man doesn’t want to be pigeonholed as a “speed guy”.

“I don’t like thinking of myself as the speed guy, because then it overshadows other parts of my game that I really think are good as well,” he explained.

When asked which areas of his game he was particularly proud of, he said: “I think it goes hand in hand, but my footwork as well. I pride myself on defending my side of the field. So I think my defence is pretty good as well.”

To be clear, there’s absolutely no arrogance in these answers whatsoever. These are reflections on a skill set that he enjoys working on, and speaks so enthusiastically about.

As a younger man, with little experience in the English game, he’s aware that he still has areas of improvement, but the idea of progress appears to excite him.

“Getting up in the air. Obviously, it’s part of my game I’m working on, but just my ability to get up even against taller players and compete is part of my game,” he added with a fiery enthusiasm.

Although he doesn’t want to be the “speed guy”, Sigauke knows his pace will always be his X-factor.

“There’s a record at Quins that I’m looking to destroy,” he stated, after being asked if he had his metres per second tested yet.

He has good reason to be confident in his abilities in a foot race too. His 100 metre time doesn’t leave much room for improvement, but he believes he has gained speed since his school days.

“It was 10.8 [seconds]”, he said, reflecting on his high school athletics career. “I think I’m faster now. I might be a little heavier, but I think I’m faster now.”

If so, it creates a fascinating proposition to see the young man take to the field against the growing number of speed men in the league, including, but not limited to, Louis Rees-Zammit, Adam Radwan, Henry Arundell and Christian Wade.

Aiming for records with Zimbabwe

For those who aren’t aware, Siguake is already internationally capped, and as a Zimbabwean international, he’s expected to compete at next year’s World Cup. This is huge, not just for Sigauke, but for the country, having just qualified for the first time since the game went professional.

The talented winger said that he is “super happy” to have the opportunity to represent his country in Australia 2027, but revealed that he also has serious aspirations for the nation.

“No other African team has won a game at the World Cup besides South Africa, obviously. And I think as a team, that’s a responsibility for me as well. If I can do my best to help that happen, just compete as well. We don’t want to be another team that just gets there to get 80s or to help teams prepare for the round of 16 or whatever. Actually, go there and compete.”

Zimbabwe find themselves in Pool F of the 2027 World Cup, drawn alongside England, Wales and Tonga, so Siguake will likely be competing against some of his current teammates.

But it’s not just this World Cup that the youngster wants to impact; he wants to leave a lasting effect on the national jersey. 

“It sounds cliché, but generally leave the jersey in a better place,” he said when asked what his aspirations are for international rugby.

“Hopefully, some young boy or young girl looks at me and says, ‘You know, I want to play Sables [Zimbabwe Rugby] because Edward did.’ So that’s sort of what I want to do with my time with the Sables.”

Currently ranked 25th in the world, Zimbabwe narrowly lost to Canada, USA and Tonga in the World Rugby Nations Cup in the summer, but they’ll hope to secure a win in November when they take on Uruguay, Samoa and Chile.

As Edward pondered his international future, and the possibilities in a Harlequins shirt, what really struck me about his character was his excitement for the future and general lust for life. Whether media-trained or not, he came across as a man simply having the time of his life – bar the weather, of course.

Big Game 18 brings a day of live entertainment and family-friendly activities as the ultimate post-Christmas celebration as Harlequins Women take on Loughborough Lightning before Harlequins Men face Northampton Saints at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham on Monday 28th December. Get your tickets via the Harlequins website.

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