Godwin Murambiwa quits Prince Edward Tigers

Murambiwa will be in charge of the Tigers in their battle against St George’s College in a fixture that is traditionally known as Reunion Day.
The former Sables coach is not the only one who will be bidding farewell to Prince Edward with the school’s headmaster Kevin Atkinson, who is leaving, also set to preside over his last rugby assignment before he leaves the school.
Captain Dexter Ganga, an A-Level student, will also be wearing the maroon and green stripes for the last time in this top-of-the-table clash as his side sit in first place on the Schools Super 9 log table having amassed 131 points.
The Saints are second on 126 points and could steal the title if they manage convincing wins over the hosts.
Coincidentally, headmaster Atkinson’s reign at the most prestigious government school will be ending this afternoon as he is moving to become the man in charge at St George’s College.
While it is certain that Atkinson will be joining the Saints, Murambiwa’s next destination is not yet clear but he is likely to take up a new challenge at another school.
Murambiwa and Atkinson were yesterday both presented with farewell tokens at the school’s assembly, which the veteran coach described as an emotional moment for him.
The assembly was attended by the Tigers Class of 1987 which included the current Zimbabwe Rugby Union president John Falkenburg, former ZRU development manager Ezra “Ziggy” Zigarwe and ex-Sables player Evaristo Usayiwevu.
However, it is on the field of play that the Tigers are hoping to give the outgoing duo “a memorable farewell’’ from a school where rugby has grown to be more of a religion.
Murambiwa and Atkinson have made significant contribution to sport at both the school and national level.
Interestingly, in 2005 the country’s oldest schools’ rugby derby marked the end of former headmaster Clive Barnes’ tenure at Prince Edward.
In that year the Tigers beat the St George’s Dragons with Atkinson watching game as Barnes’ deputy while Murambiwa was the director of coaching then.
“It was a really an emotional moment where I also took the chance to present the school with a Craven Week jersey because they allowed me to go about national duties whenever I was supposed to.
“It has been a long journey with the Tigers that started in 2004 but at the end of the day I am happy that I am leaving Prince Edward a happy man and so is the school as they have produced a number of national team players.
“I hope the boys win but they know that I am always happy about them so long they give their best because at times our best is not good enough,” said Murambiwa.
Murambiwa, a former Prince Edward student, helped groom such players like scrumhalf Charles Jiji, flyhalf Tichafara Makwanya who are now in the Sables.
Last year, the Tigers were the only side that managed to beat bitter rivals Churchill and given the rivalry between the “Cats and the Dogs” Murambiwa will always remember his feat against the Bulldogs.
In his first year as the Tigers coach, he led the side to a memorable season as they lifted the Schweppes Super Eight title for the first time and the following two years he lost only to St Johns’ College.
But during the 2007 and 2009 seasons, the Tigers ship hit stormy waters and lost to Cyprian “Supa” Mandenge’s Eaglesvale High School.
Murambiwa attributed the slump to the tough economic times in that period which resulted in players struggling with dietary problems.
The Tigers, however, bounced back in 2009 winning all their league games but went on to suffer only one defeat by the end of the season having beaten St Johns’ College twice on the occasions they met. Ironically Murambiwa believes his last season has been his worst in his eight years at Prince Edward.
“This year has been my worst at the Tigers because of that horror accident (on tour in South Africa during the Easter Holidays) that left quite a number of our players injured and some in intensive care but I am happy they are all alive and playing,” said Murambiwa.