Milton High’s rugby revival starts at home

The Milton High School Rugby team

Brandon Moyo, Zimpapers Sports Hub

AFTER successfully hosting the third edition of the Milton Rugby Schools Festival at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds last week, Milton High School headmaster Similo Ncube has revealed that plans are underway to ensure next year’s edition takes place at the school’s own grounds.

Since its inception in 2023, all three editions of the annual schoolboy rugby festival have been staged at the city’s ceremonial home of rugby. However, Ncube says the time has come for Milton to host the tournament in their own backyard.

To that end, rehabilitation work on the school’s rugby fields has already begun, with a major breakthrough being the identification of a viable water source for a borehole.

“I believe very soon we’ll have the game at our own ground. We have already broken through a borehole that has a lot of water. Water has been a stumbling block in the development of our grounds,” said Ncube.

“We believe that as soon as everything is set, we should be able to have our ground revamped and greened. That is our target for 2026 — we want our ground to be as good as we want it to be. With water, we can’t go wrong.”

Ncube watched proudly as his school delivered spirited performances across the two days of action during the festival. The Elephants opened with a 22-12 win over Goromonzi High before clinching a hard-fought 13-11 victory against Allan Wilson in the headline match of the day.

Once a dominant force in Zimbabwean schoolboy rugby, the Elephants are starting to find their feet again and climb back up the ranks.

Their recent success sets the tone for their next challenge — the prestigious St John’s Mukuru Derby Day, set for April 28 to May 3 — a test they now approach with sharpened confidence and a proud roar.

Milton are also celebrating the selection of two of their players, Mayibongwe Ncube and Joseph Ndovorwi, into the Junior Sables squad for the Barthés Trophy.

This year’s festival featured teams from Christian Brothers College (CBC), Plumtree, Entumbane, Sobukhazi, Petra, Northlea, Lord Brighton, Nkulumane, Gifford, Midlands Christian College, Montrose, Western Suburbs, St Bernard’s, St Columba’s, Direct Contact, and Bulawayo Select.

@brandon_malvin