Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema, Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOR many, the sight of a young Kenyan outfit celebrating their Barthes Trophy win a little too animatedly in front of the Zimbabwe home fans still lingers in the back of their minds.
The year was 2024, and Zimbabwe was on the cusp of a hat-trick of Barthes Trophy titles after back-to-back triumphs in 2022 and 2023, ironically, in Kenya.
The fact that they were hosting the competition only heightened expectations, with the Zimbabwe Under-20 rugby team expected to be coronated at home and finally make the competition their own.
Unfortunately, Kenya had other plans. The East Africans put on a clinic on their way to a 28-13 triumph in the final at Harare Sports Club.
What followed, after the final whistle, was five minutes of wild and exaggerated celebration from the Kenyan youngsters, who had exorcised two years of watching Zimbabwe dominate them on home soil.
Kenya then completed their redemption arc last year when they, yet again, beat Zimbabwe 21-20 at home.
Unfortunately, this time, they failed to clinch the competition as Namibia finished the round-robin tournament undefeated to be crowned champions.
Now, the two teams that appear to have been intertwined for the last couple of years meet again as the Barthes Trophy kicks off in Uganda this morning.
This year’s championship, slated for August 7-15, has introduced a revamped format designed to strengthen age-grade rugby across the continent by providing teams with more competitive fixtures and creating a clearer development pathway for emerging rugby nations.
The tournament has been split into two tiers, starting with the Performance Division, which will feature Zimbabwe, defending champions Namibia, Kenya, and Tunisia.
Hosts Uganda, Zambia, and Madagascar will compete in the First Division. The revised structure means every game carries significant importance, with little margin for error.
The main competition will kick off, this morning, at the semi-final stage, with Namibia playing Tunisia first and then Zimbabwe and Kenya rekindling their rivalry in the second match of the day.
Zimbabwe and Kenya are totally different outfits from the 2024 edition, but Junior Sables coach Shaun De Souza has gone on record to admit that a little payback is way overdue.
“We were definitely on a high trajectory back in 2024, and our hearts were broken when we lost that final and failed to go to the Junior World Trophy in Scotland,” said De Souza.
“We will definitely have to work hard to redeem ourselves, but we can only do that by winning the trophy back,” he said.
De Souza’s captain, Takudzwa Matsvimbo, however, is singing a totally different tune heading into today’s match.
Matsvimbo is on his last tour with the Junior Sables and wants to ride off into the sunset on a high.
Studying at Stellenbosch University, the former Lomagundi College student already has ambitions of graduating into the senior rugby team, the Sables.
However, before that, Matsvimbo has one more item to check off his bucket list, and that is a Barthes Trophy title.
He was part of last year’s disastrous Barthes Trophy campaign and wants to atone for that. And he believes that the current team has what it takes to get the job done. “I’m very confident in the preparations that we have put in over the last couple of months,” said Matsvimbo.
“A lot of the boys have learnt a lot and gained a lot of experience. The coach picked the right men for the job.
“We know what everyone is capable of, and I trust everyone on this squad,” he said.
Zimbabwe arrived in Uganda on Wednesday, with the team going through their captain’s run yesterday. And the team was all smiles in the lead-up to today’s game, with Matsvimbo raving about the bond within the group. The team we went with on the Abu Dhabi tour last December and the team we are now are completely different outfits.
“You would think even the boys themselves are different, but it is still the same core group, only stronger.
“We have each grown individually, and we have grown as a team. And the bond we have created — while great and all — is what will lead us to victory. It’s really special: a team that is united by one common goal, and that is the pursuit of greatness,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Junior Sables forward was one of a handful of players that took part in last year’s Barthes Trophy tournament held at Old Hararians Sports Club. And he believes that the lessons from that failed campaign will serve this team well. “Quite a lot of lessons we learnt,” he said.
“It’s like the saying goes: you learn a lot more in defeat than you do in victory. And in that campaign, we learnt what it means to actually be brothers. What it means to actually have camaraderie within a team, play as a unit, and play with one common goal. We learnt what it means to actually understand the system, work with it, and not just reproduce something you heard. So I think the boys now have a much deeper understanding of the sport, the system, and their roles,” he said.
On the pressure for success this time around, Matsvimbo added: “It comes with the territory. “There will always be pressure that comes with wearing the Junior Sables jersey, and that is good. When there’s no pressure, you get average results. But when there is a lot of pressure and there are things at stake, that is when you get the best out of each person,” he said.
As it pertains to their opponents, Kenya, the East Africans have unveiled a significantly revamped squad for this year’s competition. As many as 23 players have earned new call-ups, while only five members of last year’s squad have been retained. Among the players retained are the likes of Mike Muriithi, Justine Ng’ombe, Dennis Ndayala, Faran Juma, and Brian Kiptanui, who will provide valuable experience in an otherwise youthful squad.
The forwards unit features Daudi Jabita, Jacktone Olali, Mike Muriithi, Innocent Indeche, Jibril Joseph, Justine Ng’ombe, Chelsese Otieno, Thomas Odhiambo, Aldrine Misiomi, Jaden Paul, Randy Otuoma, Maxwell Kipsang, Joshua Monoo, John Ombango, and Derrick Osano.
The backs include Michael Olukusi, Rohan Neel, Jackson Siketi, Rayvon Ambale, Dennis Ndayala, Matrix Matangi, Abdul Zubeir, Loren Nyamolo, Wayne Otieno, Faran Juma, Brian Kiptanui, Monda Tsuyoshi, and Ezekiel Ray.
