Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
SHAUN DE SOUZA has a couple of important decisions to make in the next few days as the Zimbabwe Under-20 rugby team prepare to face hosts Uganda in a regulation Test match this weekend.
The 2026 Barthes Trophy rugby tournament is done and dusted, with Tuesday’s final day of the competition providing plenty of excitement.
Kenya overpowered perennial rivals Namibia 33-14 in the final of the Performance Division, earning a berth at next year’s Junior World Trophy in the process.
For their part, the Junior Sables finished third after a much-improved 38-12 win over Tunisia.
The result guaranteed that Zimbabwe will remain in the Performance Division of the tournament for the next edition, while Tunisia have been relegated to the First Division.
Uganda, in turn, completed a double over Zambia when they beat them 27-12 to gain promotion into the Performance Division.
This came after the hosts also won 81-0 in the first match last week.
Now, with the tournament in the rearview mirror, the Test match between Zimbabwe and Uganda has very little to no stakes aside from the proverbial bragging rights and affording the two teams some extra game time.
And it is something that De Souza hopes to exploit.
He has welcomed the match with open arms.
“Uganda are a very competitive side,” he said.
“They have shown good physicality and a strong desire to play, so we know it will be another demanding international fixture.
“For us, the stakes are about continuing our development and finishing the programme strongly as we want to carry the momentum from the Tunisia game into that match.
“Also, it is another opportunity for players to put their hands up and show that they can perform consistently at international level,” he said.
By any standards, a bronze medal finish at this year’s Barthes Trophy is undesirable, as the Junior Sables went into the tournament with a lot of hype and huge expectations.
After two failed campaigns, the Uganda tournament was a chance for De Souza and his charges to redeem themselves.
Unfortunately, the team failed in their target to bring the trophy back home as Zimbabwe lost their semi-final encounter, against Kenya 35-23.
Zimbabwe then avoided demotion when they bounced back with the win over Tunisia.
“It gives us something tangible to take away from the tournament, especially with such a new-look squad.
“I don’t think we want to look at bronze as simply a consolation.
“We wanted to compete for the top positions, and losing to Kenya in the opening match cost us that opportunity.
“Having said that, the bronze medal and remaining in the Performance Division gives the players confidence and gives Zimbabwe rugby a platform to keep building from.”
He added: “It was definitely a much-improved performance.
“I was pleased with the way the boys responded after the disappointment of the Kenya match.
“We spoke about being more accurate, more physical and, importantly, playing for the full 80 minutes.
“And I thought the players showed good character as we controlled large parts of the game. Our defence was much more connected, and there was a real improvement in our discipline and decision-making.
“Most importantly, we played with the identity we have been trying to establish — fast, physical, accurate and connected.”
Now, the coach hopes to carry that momentum against Uganda.
“There are a lot of positives to take from the win over Tunisia and, hopefully, we take that momentum into the match against Uganda.
“The biggest takeaway was the response from the group.
“After Kenya, we challenged them to show what they were capable of, and they did that.
“Our attack was more clinical, our breakdown work improved and defensively we were much more connected.
“That being said, there are still negatives.
“We left some opportunities out there and there were moments where our execution wasn’t as accurate as it needed to be.
“At international level, we have to become much more ruthless when opportunities present themselves,” said De Souza
