adminPaul Munyuki Harare Bureau
DAIRIBORD Zimbabwe Limited managing director Tatenda Napata says his company is committed to making sure rugby talent is supported in the country thus their commitment to partner Prince Edward School for the annual schools festival.
The Prince Edward Dairibord Schools Rugby Festival was launched yesterday and according to festival director Tawanda Jimu, 196 school teams, including four foreign sides from Botswana and Malawi, are expected to take part in the festival which is scheduled to run from April 24 to 30 at Prince Edward School.
The festival has once again seen an increase in the number of teams taking part as 184 teams played at last year’s schools rugby jamboree.
Though the sponsorship package figures could not be disclosed, this is the third year that Dairibord will be bankrolling the festival.
“The most important thing is for us to make sure that the quality of rugby improves. We’re not putting a monetary value to how much we will give out but as Dairibord Zimbabwe Limited we will make sure that all the festival needs are met.
“We would like to make sure that the standards and quality of rugby improves each year and as a business, we are humbled to be partnering with such an initiative where we help in adding value to schools rugby,” said Napata.
The festival will this year run under the theme “Attracted to Greatness”.
“Malawi High Performance will bring in two teams one of them being a girls’ team, Botswana is also expected to field two teams and Kuwadzana High will also, for the first time, come with a girls’ team.
“So this has seen the number of teams taking part in this year’s festival increase to 196,” added Jimu.
This year’s festival will run for exactly one week concurrently with the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy where 23 of the players in the Zimbabwe squad that was named on Tuesday having featured at the Dairibord festival over the last three years.
Online Reporter