adminRicky Zililo Sports Reporter
FRANTIC efforts are being made to save the National Rugby League from a premature end to the 2014 season, with the leadership considering skipping straight to the semi-finals. It’s been a month since the country’s rugby flagship division was forced to suspend their matches with six rounds of games left following the clubs’ failure to secure resources to travel for their encounters.
Efforts to get corporate partners to save their season hit a brick wall and after failing to meet last weekend’s deadline to re-start the games, the NRL leadership has asked for clubs to give them a green light to stage the semi-finals.
“To be honest, we don’t want a premature end to the season because that will reflect badly on the image of rugby. Everyone knows that the biggest hiccup has been lack of financial assistance and even the companies that we approached indicated to us that they are tied up at the moment. What we have done is to ask for clubs’ input so that we can find closure through semi-finals. If you look at the log standings you will see that there won’t be any changes at the top but they will be there at the bottom,” said Theo Weale, NRL fixtures secretary.
Competition had reached climax with four clubs, Old Hararians, Harare Sports Club, Old Georgians and Matabeleland Busters all competing for two home semi-finals. With players having been on the sidelines for over six weeks, it will be difficult for them to rediscover their form to effectively compete.
However, Weale said clubs had been training in anticipation of the Sevens Series that is expected to start soon.
“Obviously the issue of players’ fitness concerns will always arise but we cannot afford not to play the semi-finals because we have to showcase our products to would be sponsors. Because teams are preparing for the Sevens Series, most of their players are in shape and we believe we can still have good competition,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Rugby Union, which receives $90,000 from their international board every year, have been watching the NRL crisis unfold from a distance.
NRL Table as of September 1
P W L D F A Dif Bonus Pts Total
Old Hararians 9 7 2 0 510 105 405 10 28 38
Harare Sports Club 9 7 1 1 514 109 405 7 30 37
Old Georgians 9 7 2 0 489 112 377 7 28 35
Matabeleland Busters 8 6 1 1 242 106 136 5 26 31
Western Panthers 8 4 4 0 151 445 -294 3 16 19
Old Miltonians 9 3 6 0 174 258 -84 5 12 17
Mutare Sports Club 9 3 6 0 105 297 -182 2 12 14
Gweru Sports Club 9 1 8 0 169 350 -181 3 4 7
Zvishavane Bulls 8 0 8 0 35 607 -572 0 0 0
Online Reporter