Sundaymail EditorTinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AT the heart of Zimbabwe’s Under-20 rugby team is a young man whose name tells a story, but the chapters he is writing on the field may echo the loudest.
When the Barthes Trophy kicked off at Old Hararians this weekend, one of the tournament’s most compelling figures was not just playing for victory.
Louange Ujeneza Mutimawurukundo (19), a proud Zimbabwean born in Rwanda, was chasing closure, redemption and legacy.
At first glance, it is the name that turns heads, Louange, meaning praise in French.
Ujeneza, a nod to youth or cleverness, is loosely derived from Kiswahili.
And Mutimawurukundo? A poetic Shona-Rwandan blend translating to heart of love.
While his name is lyrical, his game is pure grit.
“This being my last campaign, I am approaching the 2025 Barthes Trophy a little differently,” says the Junior Sables hooker with quiet intensity.
“There is more determination, more focus. I want to give everything I have got in the tank.”
For Mutimawurukundo and a core group of senior players, Shammah Jackson, Tafara Dewa, Emmanuel Gabi and Benoni Nhekairo, this tournament is not just another outing.
It is a final act, a chance to right a wrong and a shot at glory on home soil.
Their unfinished business? Kenya.
A year ago, the Junior Sables were favourites, flashy, feared and in form, until they crumbled in the final. Kenya, disciplined and ruthless, walked away with a 28-13 victory that still lingers like a bitter aftertaste.
“The biggest lesson we took from that game was the importance of composure when things aren’t going your way,” Mutimawurukundo reflects.
“We let the pressure get to us. The emotion of the moment overwhelmed our structure, our discipline. We didn’t play as a team when it mattered most.”
That final became a crucible. And out of that loss, a steelier, smarter core has emerged, more battle-hardened, more united.
This time, they are not just chasing a trophy. They are chasing vindication.
Yet Mutimawurukundo’s role has evolved over the past year. Once the promising youngster on the edge of the spotlight, he now stands in its centre as both a technical anchor in the forward pack and an emotional pillar for a team in transition.
“I hope to leave the younger players in a better place,” he says.
“Leave them as champions.”
That sentiment, both selfless and strategic, captures the duality of a player who blends physical power with emotional intelligence, a player who does not just carry the ball, but also carries the culture.
He is not the most flamboyant figure in the squad, but his leadership is felt in quieter, more enduring ways, through work ethic, clarity in chaos and the steady example of someone who has seen both triumph and heartbreak.
With the Barthes Trophy marking the end of his junior international career, what comes next for Mutimawurukundo?
For now, the future is a canvas. Professional rugby is a possibility. Coaching, too.
There is a family business in the food industry waiting in the wings. But none of it will come into focus until this final campaign is done.
“Right now, I’m locked in on the Barthes,” he says.
“After that, I’ll see where life takes me. I want to stay involved in the game somehow, whether it’s playing or in some other role. Rugby’s been too big a part of me to just walk away.”
There is an unmistakable maturity in that uncertainty, the kind that suggests this is not an end, but a beginning in disguise.
Mutimawurukundo embodies a bridge between generations, cultures and personal chapters.
His story, like his name, is layered: born in Rwanda, raised in Zimbabwe and groomed on the rugby fields of a nation striving to reclaim its spot at the continental top.
And now, with home advantage and the weight of a nation behind him, he stands on the edge of something greater than a game.
This Barthes Trophy is his last dance in green and white, but it may well be the
overture to something even more meaningful.
Whether his next jersey is stitched with a professional club crest or a family business apron, one thing is certain: his heart, his
name and his presence have already left a mark.
And come April 27, he hopes to leave with something more: the sound of praise and the feel of victory.
Online Reporter