adminJeffrey Murimbechi Sports Correspondent
ST George’s and St John’s Colleges’ first team rugby players paid tribute to the late St John’s and Zimbabwe national Under-18 rugby and swimming star Nicholas ‘Bunye’ Burnett in their end-of-term Super8 derby at St George’s College this week. The Dragons used home advantage and cruised to a thudding 41-11 victory over the Rams.
Players on the field wore black armbands and both schools observed a moment of silence in memory of Burnett who was laid to rest on Sunday after a fatal car accident last week.
Bunye had just finished a brilliant stint at the Coca-Cola Craven Week rugby festival in South Africa the week before he met his untimely death and was headed for the FINA World Junior Swimming Championships in Dubai in August.
St John’s opened the scoring with a try from Rukudzo Gona as the Dragons struggled under the high ball then added six points through penalties before the home side got their act together.
Dragons came back into the game after their speedster and Zimbabwe Under-18 winger Brendon Boshi scored their first try.
From then on, the home side were back in the groove, scoring freely from the forwards and the backs in a team effort.
This was a better performance from the Dragons who have so far only lost to the Churchill Bulldogs.
“I think the best thing for me today, along with the other guys, was that we played against each other and got to remember him.
“It was a beautiful site to see the guys in the stands writing, ‘RIP NICK’, with their uniforms in the stands,” said Boshi.
The victory cements St George’s position at number two in the league.
Online Reporter