Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIMBABWE Rugby Referees Society president Simbarashe Dangah has defended his match official Wisdom Chiwanza over what some called a below par performance over the weekend.
Chiwanza was the man in the middle during the Harare Under-20 Rugby League final between Old Hararians and Old Georgians and has since come under fire over the manner in which he handled the match.
“I was his Coach of Match Officials (CMO) in that game and I believe the young man had a good game,” said Dangah.
“It was a tense match and it was always going to be a tough match for the young lad but he handled himself well.
“All his calls, which subject to debate, were within the rules.
“The criticism, while unfair in some instances, will only help him in the long run as he continues his development journey,” he said.
Dangah said that they deliberately assigned two veterans, Tinashe Kamwenje and Talent Gandiwa, as his line judges in a deliberate move to help and assist him.
Old Hararians were crowned the 2026 Harare Under-20 Rugby League champions after beating Old Georgians 22-15 in a tense and highly entertaining final held at Old Hararians Sports Club on Saturday.
On the other hand, the third- and fourth-place encounter between Pitbulls and the Zambezi Steelers failed to live up to expectations.
Pitbulls ran away 66-10 winners in a largely one-sided affair to clinch the third spot, while the Steelers finished fourth.
However, Chiwanza ended up dominating the conversation after the final with the young referee dishing out five cards — two red and three yellow — which many believe ruined the flow of the game.
Surprisingly, both sets of coaches did not have kind words for the match official.
Tichafara Makwanya, the OH winning coach, was one of the recipients of the red cards and did not hide his displeasure at the officiating.
“Well, first of all, glory to God for taking us this far and helping us cross the line and win the title,” said Makwanya, after the match.
“It was a fair final, a competitive one at that, but, unfortunately, the officiating needs to be better.
“We can’t make officiating the centre of the game. People need to come together and be honest about some of the things that are happening.
“What should have been a good final turned out to be a referee’s show, and I don’t think people came to watch him but the match itself.
“The red card remains a mystery why he felt the need to dish out not one but two of them.
“This is not an isolated incident as the level of officiating the whole season has been suspect.
“They need to do better,” he said.
On his boys’ performance, Makwanya said: “I think it was a good outing from the guys.
“I think our support play could have been better.
“We got a few turnovers against us due to the guys not being efficient enough and a lack of urgency.
“However, I will take the win, and we hope to be back here again defending our title next season.”
Old Georgians coach Tatenda Maseba was also not happy with the level of officiating and how the referee handled himself.
“I think the boys did really come to the party and play well.
“We just couldn’t cross the line, and it is sad that the referee had a part to play in that.
“We were unlucky to have been outdone by the referee.
“That was some poor refereeing, and he lost control of the game.
“He sent off a coach, two red cards, three yellow cards, and the card count could have been worse had he had his way.
“But that is sport for you. I will say, congratulations and kudos to Old Hararians.
“I think they have done really well throughout the season and were the better team on the day,” he said.
