Middleton demands more

From Mbachi Mutukula-Maregere in PORT ELIZABETH, SA
ZIMBABWE Rugby Union technical director Liam Middleton feels the national teams have a lot of work to do to transform themselves into powerful forces that can make a mark on the international level. This follows the Cheetahs’ disappointing show at the recent IRB Sevens series in South Africa.

Middleton, who led the sevens team at the Port Elizabeth leg of the world series at the weekend, said there was need to develop the national rugby teams and make them compete with the best in the world.

“I feel we have a lot to work on. And if we are going to have a lot of international matches that will bring good exposure for our teams although such tournaments cost a lot,” said Middleton.

“We have to be honest that our challenges revolve around our finances. I think we have to be honest with ourselves. We realise we had shortcomings in Port Elizabeth and I think we fell short on the physical capacity. So, there is a lot to work on and I am very conscious that the Zimbabwe national teams need significant improvement on the physical conditioning.

“I would like us to play nine tournaments a year and that is not financially possible for us at the moment. We can play four but we need to double it to be a competitive side.”

Zimbabwe Cheetahs were one of the teams who returned home without winning a single match at the IRB series.