Churchill to host U-14 rugby festival

Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE could next year have a national XVs Under-14 schools rugby festival after Churchill Boys tabled a proposal to become hosts of the next biggest school’s rugby jamboree — an event they hope to bring to life next April.

At the moment, the biggest schools rugby XVs festival in Zimbabwe is Prince Edward’s annual Dairibord Schools Festival that draws at least 100 teams each year, followed by Bulawayo’s Power Sales Schools Festival.

Both these festivals largely take care of the Under-17 to Under-20 age groups but Churchill School have seen it noble to introduce an Under-14 tournament that is aimed at exposing talent whilst at the earliest high school level.

This would be the first time that Zimbabwe will have an Under-14 rugby festival.

With Zimbabwe represented by the Under-14s, Under-17s and Under-18 at the annual youth festivals in South Africa which are the Craven Week and the Grant Khomo Week, selectors usually start identifying potential national representatives at the Dairibord and Power Sales festivals.

However, the proposal by Churchill to the Zimbabwe Rugby Union indicates that they would like to create a platform where the Under-14 players can also have a good enough programme where selectors can also have a pre-selection identification platform.

It is because of the lack of a festival at such a stage that Churchill School saw an opportunity to expose players at the earliest high school stage, give selectors more time to watch the players and also giving the young players more game-time before the final provincial and national selection.

“We already have the Dairibord Schools Rugby Festival catering for Under 19 & Under16. The National Under-14 Inter-Schools Rugby Festival is, therefore, imperative for the growth of the sport at early high school level.

“As a platform for exposure, South Africa has (the) Craven Week for Under -18s, Under-16s and Under-14s. These inter-provincial games for the two older age groups are held in about Week Nine of the (schools) second term.

“But for the Under- 14s, it’s as early as Week Three. This does not give the national selectors enough time to evaluate talent.”