Andrew
Online Reporter
SEAN De Souza cut the figure of a man bursting at the seams with confidence, 24 hours before the Young Sables’ gaffer and his charges leave for Kenya for the 2022 edition of the Barthes’ Trophy.
Zimbabwe are amongst the eight teams that will battle it out for a spot at the Junior World Rugby Trophy when the continent’s top Under-20 sides converge at Kenya’s Nyalo National Stadium for the tournament slated for April 9 to April 17.
These include defending champions and hosts Kenya, Madagascar, Tunisia, Zambia, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Uganda and, of course, Zimbabwe.
De Souza even had the time to assess his charges one last time before departure as the team put up yet another polished performance and demolished Bulawayo’s Consha Barbarians in a scrimmage game at Old Hararians on Tuesday.
The match, which saw the Young Sables put 10 tries past their opposition and concede two penalty conversions, was not so much a result-oriented match, but more about identifying any chinks in the team’s armour.
There were a few, and De Souza sees that as a good thing.
He said it keeps his team on their feet.
“I think the game was good; we tried our second-string team, just to see how they would fare, and I am glad to report that they played very well,” said the Young Sables gaffer.
“It also then kind of helps us cement our final selection, and that was one of the main reasons behind organising the scrimmage match.
“We are grateful to Consha Enterprises for bringing down their young Barbarians’ side; it was a good platform for both sides to see where they are at and what needs to be done.”
Zimbabwe kicks off their 2022 edition of the Barthes Cup with a game against Tunisia on Saturday.
That match kicks off at 11.30am.
Speaking on his opponents, De Souza said the game against Tunisia could pose as a tricky outing as he has not yet had time to do enough research on them.
“Unfortunately, the draw did not favour us much,” said the Prince Edward Tigers head coach.
“Initially, I was working on Uganda, doing our due diligence on them.
“However, we then found out that we are playing Tunisia, and I looked up their team list.
“I haven’t really found muc and what this means is that we are basically going into unknown territory.
“However, we know the history of Tunisian rugby. It has a strong foundation of junior rugby and we expect a tough outing against them,” he said.
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter