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Percival Sizara in Durban, South Africa
THE 2016 Craven Week rugby tournament has come and gone and like any other past editions it has continued to be an indicator and a huge lesson giver for the Old Mutual Zimbabwe Under-18 squad. Old Mutual Zimbabwe completed the 53rd Craven Week having managed to win one out of three games at Kearsney College. Zimbabwe’s final game of the tournament was a youth test against traditional rivals Namibia who —for the sixth consecutive year – enjoyed running over the Young Sables this time a 34-3 victory.
In the other two games, Old Mutual Zimbabwe got hammered 78-5 by Griquas while claiming a narrow 16-9 triumph over Griquas Rural – their first win since 2013 thus ending a seven-match winless spell.
Old Mutual Zimbabwe coach Godwin “Jaws” Murambiwa admitted and acknowledged their hiccups during the tournament which he says they have no excuses for. However, Murambiwa is convinced the non-changing playing structure, approach and preparations in the lead up to the Craven Week has had a negation on results hence creating a huge gap with other foreign teams.
“It’s difficult to say. The structure has been there for a long time but there are things that need to change. We keep on talking about these things and they don’t change. “You have got a national Under-18 team that came here that was together for six days. That’s how it has always been done and how we are still doing it but what are the other guys doing?”
He added: “You can argue and say when we did it before we used to win but certainly the other guys that are here … the Sharks side that is playing here had played at least three games before they came to Craven Week so these are things that we need to look at doing.”
Camping for the Craven Week has always had limitations due to educational commitments of the players who are still going to school. Unless the responsible authorities for schools rugby make amends to the current structure, there is high probability that the Young Sables will continue blowing hot and cold at the Craven Week.
“We just coach this team but we have a system and the system is an education system. We all know that rugby is just another sport back home so sometimes we get carried away and then we assume that we are talking to adults but these guys are just schoolboys.
“. . . whatever time they put into preparation that is what they are going to give you so what these guys gave you is the amount of time that they spent in camp and how they were able to gel as a team.”
Despite being rolled over by Namibia for the sixth straight match, Murambiwa took notes on how their rivals – apart from other South African provinces – go about their business in setting up for their Under-18 squad. “The Namibia game was always going to be difficult in the sense that this was one of the best Namibian sides that I have seen in a long time.
“They also have got a side playing in the Academy Week which had they won their previous (penultimate) game they would have been playing in a final so they are really switched on, they are organised.”
He added: “They are doing things differently to how we do things at home, which may not be the right thing to say when you have lost, but they were here before us, they were preparing; they have players in both weeks here so going forward it’s something that we need to look at.” Last Tuesday, ZRU president Nyararai Sibanda made an application for Zimbabwe to be included for the South African Academy Week in 2017 and beyond.
Online Reporter