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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FOURTEEN players from the Matabeleland Rugby Football Board (MRFB) league have been picked for the national team’s training squad following trials held at Hartsfield Ground on Saturday.
The 14 were part of the Southern Region Select side that beat the Northern Select 15-12 at the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) organised senior men’s national team trials.
Harare players dominated the Northern select with Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo and Zvishavane players making up the Southern Select squad.
Winger Gardner Nechironga, who came out of retirement last year, loosehead prop Irvine Nduwa, scrumhalf Lloyd Machanjaire, right centre Japhet Ndebele, who has represented Zimbabwe at different competitions, and eighth man Jason Mackay are among players from the Southern Select side that were selected for the Sables training squad.
Southern Select manager Simba Dangah said the 14 players will start training at Hartsfield this evening under the guidance of assistant national team coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba, Reuben Kumpasa and Ziffy Dzinomurumbi.
“The Zimbabwe select training squad has been divided into two, with the Southern Region based players set to train at Hartsfield on Tuesdays and Thursdays under Nyamutsamba, while national team coach Cyprian Mandenge will be in charge of the Northern Region players.
‘‘At a later date, the squad will then train for about a week together and we hope to see a number of players from the south making the final team that will tour Hong Kong next month,” said Dangah.
Nechironga, who scored a penalty kick, a try and a conversion, is likely to make it into the squad with ease.
Fullback Andrea Banda, a try scorer for Southern Select, Nduwa, Machanjaire, Ndebele and Mackay are also tipped to make the Sables’ squad.
Shortlisted players from the south
Irvine Nduwa, Sandile Lupuwana, Victor Chiwara, Kudakwashe Nyakufaringwa, Velile Dube, Michael Zvakavapano, Nelson Madida, Jason Mackay, Lloyd Machanjaire, Gardner Nechironga, Kudakwashe Chimukuyu, Japhet Ndebele, Hardlife Masunda, Andrea Banda.
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