Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE tide seems to be turning in favour of Zimbabwean rugby, with a series of promising developments that could spell great news for the future of the sport in the country.
Not only has Zimbabwe successfully retained the hosting rights for the 2025 Barthes Trophy, but the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has also been granted first refusal for next year’s competition.
Moreover, the Sharks Under-20 team has expressed interest in flying over for a scrimmage game against the Junior Sables, providing an invaluable opportunity for Shaun De Souza and his squad to gain valuable experience before the 2025 Barthes Trophy.
“It was a piece of good news to receive the letter from Rugby Africa, not only giving us the opportunity to host this year’s Barthes Trophy, but also giving us the first refusal rights for the 2026 edition,” said De Souza.
“Based on what happened last year, we are definitely happy to be hosting the tournament again, in our backyard, and hopefully redeem ourselves,” he said.
The redemption arc that De Souza speaks about pertains to the 13-28 loss Zimbabwe suffered at the hands of Kenya at the Harare Sports Club’s Machinery Exchange Stadium in last year’s Barthes Trophy final.
The Junior Sables were outclassed, outmatched and outplayed during what many perceived to be a lifeless performance.
The loss prevented Zimbabwe from claiming the elusive hat trick of Barthes Trophy titles after their 2022 and 2023 conquests, ironically in Nairobi, Kenya, for that matter.
More importantly, the loss prevented Zimbabwe from progressing to the Junior World Trophy.
De Souza seems to have learnt his lessons.
“I think we did have some concerns the last time we hosted this tournament, and we worked around to correct some of the areas we were found wanting.
“I cannot delve much into those but rest assured we are taking this hosting very seriously and hope to atone for past mistakes,” he said.
The hosting gig comes just in time as De Souza and his charges returned from a well-deserved break. The Zimbabwe Junior Sables are due to due to regroup soon and resume their preparations for the Barthes Trophy.
“I think the break was well-deserved; the boys and the technical team really need some time off. We definitely used that time to reflect and get ourselves fired up for the coming task ahead,” he said.
As it pertains to the preparations, De Souza said: “At this stage, we are looking at fine-tuning the squad, identifying the players who are committed and looking at alignment camps coming up at the end of February.
“We then hope to have a 56-man squad up and ready by March 1.
“We also have a fixture lined up against the Zim A men’s team (April 5), the Nedbank Rugby Challenge and then after the Barthes Trophy, we have the Sharks Academy Under-20 team coming through for a match or two in May.”
Zimbabwe will have two teams playing in the Nedbank Rugby Challenge — the Junior Sables and a “Grassroots to Greatness” team — and the tournament will be the last stop before the Barthes Trophy.
The Barthes Trophy is slated for April 17 to 27.
