Chronicle Editor
Brandon Moyo
THE chaos and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic brought sports worldwide to a screeching halt. High-contact sports, such as football and rugby, were hit the hardest. Even schools sport were suspended, putting a damper on player development and limiting the pool of players for the national level.
The next generation of stars suffered. With no opportunities to showcase their skills, they were forced to stay at home. However, things started looking up last year as regulations were relaxed, and players were able to hit the field once again.
Efforts were made to revive sports that were losing popularity in schools, including rugby. Schoolboy rugby had lost its charm, and measures were to be taken to bring the sport back to its former glory.
The Bulawayo Metropolitan Rugby Football Board (BMRFB) organised the Unforgettable Sevens Rugby Festival to close off 2022, bringing back the city’s ceremonial home of rugby, Hartsfield Rugby Grounds, to its former glory.
Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) South Vice-President, Martin Shone, praised the tournament, saying it had been a while since such a significant event was organised. BMRFB director of rugby and former national sevens coach, Gilbert Nyamutsamba, concurred, saying it was great to have over 30 teams participate.
In 2023, an Under-20 league kicked off the rugby season, with most of the matches contested by students. After five weeks of high-end rugby, Christian Brothers College (CBC) Hornets emerged champions, having won all their matches.
In March, Milton Boys High School hosted the Milton Easter Rugby Festival, playing a significant role in the revival of schoolboy rugby in the city and the country as a whole. Schools from all over Zimbabwe and one from Botswana attended the two-day fiesta.
After 22 matches of high-quality rugby at Hartsfield, schoolboy rugby emerged as the ultimate winner. Traditional matches, thought to be a thing of the past, were reignited, and old foes met, delivering what had been missing for so long.
“This tournament (Milton Easter Festival) was very critical and wanted in Bulawayo because rugby in Bulawayo for the past years has been going down, schools have not been playing rugby so it was good to see schools like Gifford coming back into playing after such a long time and I think it will assist in growing rugby in Bulawayo as those boys are the ones that will feed into clubs in the city,” said Petra College Head Coach, Andrea Banda.
Hornets Head Coach, Nelson Madida, attributed the demise of schoolboy rugby in the city to a lack of competition, leading to Bulawayo schools struggling whenever they go out on tour. He believes that such festivals play a crucial role in reviving the sport at the grassroots level and creating healthy competition and growth for players.
“I think one thing that has been lacking over the years is an element of competition. With lack of competition, we have seen Bulawayo rugby fall, over the years we had a lot of tournaments that we used to play from primary level up to high school level and we came to a time and period where rugby totally died, in terms of club and school.
“This now (Easter Festival) will level up the ground, to say that in time, two or three years from now to five, we will be able to compete against schools around Zimbabwe so it creates healthy competition and growth for our players,” said Madida.
Ruben Kumpasa, Bulawayo Select and Matabeleland Warriors Head Coach, highlighted the importance of schools rugby, as there will be no feeder to the national team without it. He believes that playing these games is crucial for building interest in schools that are not even playing yet.
“Grassroots for rugby is the biggest thing for rugby to happen so if we don’t play these games that means our schools don’t play rugby, that means there is no feeder for the national team so this is very important for us as a province and the country as a whole because it builds the interest for most of these schools that are not even playing yet,” said Kumpasa.
Despite two years of inaction within schoolboy rugby, the sport is on an upward trajectory, showing signs of life thanks to good coaching and improving conditions. From the rugby stakeholders in the city, there is hope that it will continue to improve.
In commemoration of their 125 years of existence, Prince Edward is set to host a rugby festival, with some Bulawayo schools likely to take part. As the sport continues to regain its footing, there is hope for a bright future for rugby in Zimbabwe.–@brandon_malvin
Online Reporter