adminin mind when they pick players for the junior side that takes part at the Craven Week festival in South Africa.
The schools side is set to compete at this year’s edition of the Coca-Cola Craven Week rugby festival set for Kimberley in the Northern Cape province of South Africa in mid July.
The schools’ Under-18 side was in camp at the weekend where they trained under the close supervision of Murambiwa and their next camp will run from July 6 to 10 when they depart.
This means the players will be free to represent their schools in the schools league over the next two weeks.
Murambiwa said that maintaining continuity is important not only for the Craven Week side but also for the rest of the teams.
Junior Nhlanha, from St George’s College, is the only player in the current side who is eligible to be at the Craven Week next year while Kyle College centre Takudzwa Chieza and Gareth Meikle of Lomagundi come in from last year’s side.
“There is one player in the current squad that could make it for next year’s edition of the games and maintaining experience and continuity are some of the things that selectors must have look for when picking a squad.
“It is always important to blend the side with juniors because if we look at the current side most of the players will not be here for the Craven Week next year as they are all in their final year in school.
“We also have to look at the fact that the players who take part at the Craven Week are most likely to make it for the Under-19 Africa Cup and the Under-20 JWRT teams.
“We need to start building from the Craven Week side and this should filter into the Under-19, Under-20 and into the senior teams so that we have a good pool of players.
“Two boys from last year are in the current side and these are Chieza and Meikle but we have had to rope in Mathew Lawson of St George’s College as well.
“This means we will have to go for the tournament one player less than what we were supposed to and it is that experience from the previous year that makes a difference.”
The Craven Week side was selected a few weeks ago when Murambiwa was in Georgia with the Under-20 side at the Junior World Rugby Trophy.
The Zimbabwe team will open their campaign at the festival with a date against Border Country Districts who they have met and beaten twice in the last four years.
Their performance against the South African side will determine their next opponents but in their last game they are likely to meet Namibia – who they have beaten three times in the last four years.
Opening fixtures
July 11: Leopards v Namibia, Eastern Province CD v Valke, Boland v Blue Bulls, Free State v Pumas, Griquas v SWD.
July 12: Zimbabwe v Border CD, Griquas CD v Border, Griffons v Limpopo, Lions v Eastern Province, Western Province v KwaZulu Natal.
Zimbabwe Squad
Joshua Smallborne’s (St John’s College), Rees Surtees (St Georges), Andries Van Heerden (Falcon), Bruk- Jackson (Lomagundi), Ryan Zeederberg (Peterhouse), Daniel Rorke (St John’s College), Tapiwa Tsomondo (Prince Edward), Gareth Meikle (Lomagundi), Robbie Sargeant (Falcon), Deroy Masiyarira (Hillcrest), Brian Ndudzo (Peterhouse), Andrew Wilkinson (St John’s College), Takudzwa Chieza (Kyle), Wilson Seremani (St John’s College), Jamie Forrester (St John’s College), Junior Hlahla (St George’s), Kudakwashe Makuvire (St George’s), Kuda Makanza (Peterhouse), Tatenda Zinyemba (St George’s), Kevin Merrington (St John’s College), Mathew Lawson (St Georges), Luke Masasire (Prince Edward), T Simpson, Gibbons (Falcon), S Zeederburg.
Online Reporter