adminA 24-member strong Peterhouse Boys XV rugby side has stunned the opposition during their current tour to Argentina, whose clubs have found the competition from the Zimbabweans much tougher than expected. Accompanied by head coach Dave Kirkman and his assistant Andy Ferreira, the Kings XV have so far won their games against three Argentinian sides by impressively wide margins.
Leaving Zimbabwe on August 21, Peterhouse travelled 24 hours via South Africa and Brazil to reach Argentina.
In their first match on August 24 against Berazategui Rugby Club, they resoundingly thrashed the Argentinian side 92-14 in an extremely physical match on a field in the midst of a high-density Buenos Aires neighbourhood.
Most top Argentinian schoolboy rugby players choose to play for clubs over their high schools, as there is better training and more resources poured into the clubs.
In their second game, the Kings delivered a one-sided 35-0 thrashing of an Argentinian version of a home rival, aptly named St George’s College, a private coed boarding school in the suburb of Quilmes. Sadly, key player Cuan Zeederberg suffered a serious knee injury in the early minutes of the match and had to be taken off the field.
Otherwise, the large margins of these games allowed the coaches to give all 24 traveling players game time exposure. Mike Lampton was the captain of the travelling team.
After travelling to the traditional cattle ranching part of Argentina, Peterhouse faced respected Jockey Rugby Club in Rosario and delivered a 58-5 thrashing in their third match. Jockey Club was admittedly resting some of its top players in the match against its Zimbabwean visitors, in anticipation of an important club league match the next day.
The Kings wrap up their tour with a final game in neighbouring Uruguay and after touring some of Latin American sights, return home to Zimbabwe this weekend, confident of their solid rugby team and tactical ability not only in their own schools league at home, but also on the international stage.
Coach Kirkman said he was pleased with the exposure afforded to Peterhouse:
“The boys have played very well and are geared up for our final game in Uruguay. We played against some well respected sides in Argentina and won all three.” — SNN.
Online Reporter