Langa Mabena
Brandon Moyo
THE wait for the start of the local rugby season is over with the 2025 Bulawayo Metropolitan Rugby Football Board (BMRFB) Under-20 league set to get underway at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds on Saturday.
The Under-20 league is a traditional season opener and promises to be an exhilarating event with high-quality rugby on display from the youngsters.
Christian Brothers College (CBC) Hornets head coach Nelson Madida is confident that his side will be at their competitive best as they prepare to take part in the league.
The schoolboys, who won the 2023 edition, are high in spirits ahead of the start of the league. Madida and his Hornets side will also be using the league as part of their pre-season preparation as the schoolboy rugby calendar gets underway in the second term.
For the Bulawayo based school, the forthcoming provincial Under-20 league is the platform to try and set the foundation for the season ahead.
“Our preparations have been going well. Everything is well on course and it has been a good period of preparations. For us, we will be using this as part of our pre-season, we have a full programme ahead.
“We are a group of schoolboys competing against clubs and this will help in the introduction of a school system within our clubs in the province, which will play a pivotal role in the development of the game.
“We are looking at playing good positive rugby and being as competitive as we can be. Of course, we want to win and maybe get the title, but our aim is to play competitive rugby. The main objective is to lay a foundation for the future as we prepare for our schools’ rugby season. Competing in this league gives us a plus and we will draw a lot of lessons from it,” said Madida.
The Hornets have a packed rugby schedule for the year which begins this Saturday at the city’s ceremonial home of rugby.
Madida and his side are one of the seven teams that have confirmed their participation in this year’s edition. They will be competing against defending champions Old Miltonians (OMs), Panthers, Highlanders, Bulldogs, Matabeleland Warriors and Matabeleland Lions from Gwanda.
The league will run concurrently with ladies’ which is set to feature three teams; Highlanders, Panthers and Bulldogs.
Matches will be played on a round-robin basis with the top four teams advancing to the semi-finals. The first half of the league games will be played on the Hartsfield Rugby Grounds B Field since the main field is undergoing maintenance.
After the conclusion of the Under-20 league, the Archer Clothing Rugby League is set to get underway soon after with OMs also starting the season defending champions after beating Warriors in an enthralling final last year.
Online Reporter