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Grace Chingoma
Senior Sports Reporter
SCOTLAND Under-20 rugby captain Liam McConnell says they will not take Zimbabwe and other opponents lightly when they get their campaign underway in the World Trophy tournament at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi tomorrow.
The tournament in Kenya will run from tomorrow up to July 30 with the winner set to qualify for the main IRB Under-20 World Championship.
Scotland and Zimbabwe will get the ball rolling before Pool B opponents Samoa, and hosts Kenya, take to the pitch after the first game. The other group B opponents Spain and Hong Kong will feature in the last game of match day 1.
Scotland were relegated from the Under-20 Championship in 2019 and are competing in the second-tier tournament for the first time in their history.
They are in Pool A together with former champions the United States of America, Uruguay and Zimbabwe.
The Under-20 Trophy returns after a four-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Speaking during the launch of the tournament, which was attended by all the eight captains of the participating teams, McConnell said he was expecting tough games.
We expect each team to be a tough game and can’t take anyone lightly. Every team has some really good players amongst them and have played some good rugby over the last six months, but we have areas where we think we can really put the pressure on them.
“It would mean a lot to us if we got back in the Under-20 Championship, especially after watching the recent games and seeing the standard of the tournament. It’s these tough matches where we want to be playing,” said McConnell.
According to the World Rugby website, Japan has the best overall record at the World Rugby Under-20 Trophy, having captured the title three times in the past. Their 2019 win, in the last edition of the tournament, means the Asian nation is currently taking part in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship.
The winner of the Under-20 Trophy gains promotion to the Under-20 Championship, while the bottom-placed team in that tournament will be relegated to the Under-20 Trophy next year.
There have been seven other Under-20 Trophy champions with Samoa and Italy winning the trophy twice.
USA, Georgia, Uruguay, Fiji and Romania have each lifted the coveted trophy once.
Zimbabwe and the hosts Kenya would also be seeking to win the coveted trophy for the first time.
Kenya captain Michael Wamalwa said he feels honoured to captain the host team.
“It is a great feeling captaining this team on home soil, and in front of our home fans. This is one memory that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The fact that we are donning the national colours in front of our own fans … many long for this moment and we are honoured to be representing the country on the global stage,” he said.
Kenya lost to Zimbabwe about three months ago when they met in the Barthes Trophy at the same venue.
However, the Junior Sables reckon that it would be a different ball game altogether in the World Trophy.
Junior Sables skipper Panashe Zuze has since dubbed the opening clash a David versus Goliath affair.
“We are excited to play Scotland, these opportunities only come once in a lifetime as we don’t really get games to play against a Six-Nations (Under-20 level or not). I have spoken to the boys and told them that David beat Goliath.
“We are the underdogs in this tournament, but we are not moved by the task that lies ahead.
Just like in that story, David was the underdog in that fight but he still managed to prosper and come out with a victory. That is the mentality we will walk into the game with,” said Zuze.
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