Online Reporter
Abel Ndooka
The Zimbabwe Ezekiel Guti University (ZEGU) rugby team captain, Gealan Jaricha, has praised the resilience and sportsmanship shown by his team during the recently concluded 2026 FISU World University Championship Rugby Sevens in Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Despite finishing in seventh position, Jaricha said the tournament was a valuable learning curve for the ZEGU Rhinos, emphasising that exposure to international competition would open doors for many players in the squad.
“As captain, I’m extremely proud of the way the ZEGU Rhinos represented the university and the country at the FISU Games,” said Jaricha. “For many of us, this was a completely new level of competition. We were at the highest level of university sport in the world, going up against teams with significantly more experience.”
“I believe our performance showed the growth of the Rhinos. We competed with heart, discipline, and determination, and most importantly, we never stopped fighting,” he added. “There are definitely areas where we could have performed better, but the experience we gained is just as valuable as the results on the scoreboard.”
The Rhinos endured a tough start to their campaign, opening with a heavy 33–5 defeat to Argentina before losing narrowly to Australia (26–21) and Chile (33–29).
However, they capped off their tournament with a hard-fought 28–26 victory over Mexico in their final fixture.
This marked the second consecutive year the ZEGU Rhinos represented Zimbabwe at the FISU Games.
Last year, the team secured a silver medal in Nairobi, Kenya, which earned them their qualification ticket for this year’s tournament.
