adminZIMBABWE national Under-18 rugby team coach Godwin “Jaws” Murambiwa said poor build-up ahead of the Coca-Cola Craven Week was the reason for the Junior Sables’ poor showing at the schools’ showcase in South Africa.
The Zimbabwe juniors’ representative side returned home on Sunday without a win for the second consecutive year.
The Old Mutual bankrolled side led by Falcon College hooker Brian Muntanga came out second best in all the three matches they played at this year’s edition of the Under-18 Craven Week hosted by Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch. Zimbabwe lost 12-17 to Griquas Country Districts, 20-51 to Eastern Province Country Districts and 7-29 to Namibia. In 2014 the Junior Sables lost to the same opposition in Middelburg.
What left Murambiwa even more perturbed was the fact that his players dominated the first half in all the three matches only to throw it all away in the second half.
Before heading off to South Africa, the Junior Sables had only two preparatory camps, the first one during the half term break last month and the final fine-tuning prior to their departure.
However, Murambiwa felt that the preparations were not enough for a tournament of the magnitude of the Craven Week where they meet teams that have played lots of matches.
“Up until 2010 we were ranked in the top seven, this year we went to a disappointing Craven Week. The guys in South Africa are always looking to improve, we should not have lost to Namibia, we have lost to better Namibian sides before and this was not their best side,’’ said Murambiwa.
A stern warning was given to the Junior Sables technical team by Zimbabwe-born former Springboks coach Ian McIntosh who is deeply involved in South African schools rugby that if nothing changes in the way the team prepares for the Craven Week, they will suffer even heavier defeats next year.
On what is the best way forward, Murambiwa feels a lot needs to change if Zimbabwe is to become competitive at the Craven Week again? One of the suggestions was a training programme for players who would take part at next year’s edition of the Craven Week. That, however, comes with its challenges as most of the youngsters also play other sports like cricket which might interfere with their rugby training.
Players, who were part of the 2015 side who can still be selected next year, are props Cleopas Kundiona, Samuel Garnett, loose forwards Stuart Dodington, Cuan Zeederberg, flyhalf Benjamin Meredith, wing Sam Phiri and centre Martin Mangongo.
The coach is of the opinion that these players together with those who went to the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week should be merged to make sure that there is stability next year.
Murambiwa disclosed that in the past they used to hold training sessions every Sunday after the Craven Week squad had been chosen. That gave them a lot of time to try out combinations as opposed to the current scenario where players are only in camp for a few days.
“We need to make sure that the boys who went to Grant Khomo Week and the surviving guys are put on a training programme. We need to ensure that there is some form of continuity. I got players for four days, other teams have played matches, I feel frustrated, we are not far off and the whole system needs to change.
“We need them to train every Sunday; you can’t train for four days then expect to win matches. In 2007 when we won three matches, we played matches before we went there. People are expecting us to do something impossible, we have gone to Craven Week and won before, we have to try to retain at least 50 percent of the team,’’ said Murambiwa.
Social media was abuzz after Zimbabwe lost all the three matches in South Africa with some claiming that the selection process was flawed. They even went to the extent of accusing Falcon College headmaster Reginald Querl, the head in charge of schools rugby in Zimbabwe of using the Craven Week to market players from his school. This is because Falcon College had nine of their youngsters in the squad of 22 who travelled to South Africa. Murambiwa said he could not respond to such allegations since the team was chosen by five selectors from all over the country.
Murambiwa, head coach of the Junior Sables since 2006 vowed that he will not quit midway through his renewed two-year contract, but will seek to find solutions to make sure his side started winning at the Craven Week like they used to.
Former Junior Sables team manager Mzingaye Nyathi, now coaching at a high school in Camps Bay, South Africa, firmly believes that everyone involved in Zimbabwean rugby must come up with solutions.
Nyathi pointed out that it was clear that the South Africans used the Under-18 Craven Week as their Springboks trials hence they took it seriously.
While Zimbabwean rugby lovers ponder over yet another disappointing Under-18 Craven Week, Murambiwa and the rest of his technical team should be finding ways of making sure the team does better at next year’s competition.
derick.khumalo