Chronicle EditorBrandon Moyo, [email protected]
THE knockout stage of the 2024 Bulawayo Metropolitan Rugby Football Board (BMRFB) Archer Clothing Rugby League kicks off today at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds with five exciting matches lined up.
The teams are vying for the championship after completing the round-robin phase. Today’s action marks the return of the league after a one-week break to allow players and teams to recuperate. Headlining the day will be the semi-final matches in the men’s championship division, where two final spots are up for grabs.
Log leaders, Old Miltonians (OMs), are up against fourth-placed Highlanders. OMs coach, Victor Chiwara, said that despite being favourites, they respect Highlanders, who will not be easy to beat.
“We trained well throughout the week, but there was a bug going around, and some guys were not able to attend training. I think we will have to treat this game with a lot of respect. Highlanders are a good team, and it won’t be a walk in the park.
“If you look at the previous games we played against them, they gave us a tough challenge, and I think it will be the same this time. In terms of the team, we have to try and balance how we want to play and how we want to grow as a team, so there will be a few changes with some guys starting while other regulars come from the bench,” said Chiwara.
For Highlanders, it’s the same old story — lack of training. Coach Silethokuhle “Slater” Ndlovu bemoaned their lack of dedication to training ahead of such a tricky encounter but said they would give OMs a run for their money.
“It’s a tricky one. People are not attending training, but we will try our best. OMs are a very good team, and they have good numbers. You see them in training with 30 players, and on our side, we will only be four or seven, so it’s really difficult.
“But, I can guarantee that we won’t just lie down. If they have to win, they will have to work hard for it. We will try our best and give them a run for their money,” said Ndlovu.
The other semi-final is between defending champions Matabeleland Warriors and Western Suburbs Panthers, who finished the round-robin stage in third place. Warriors were just one point behind leaders OMs on the standings.
Warriors coach, Ruben Kumpasa, said following the long weekend, players were given extra time to rest and only resumed training on Wednesday. He said they had put in enough work to get a good result in today’s game. He indicated that they would be trying out new combinations to see what works well.
“Panthers will not be an easy task, but we are confident; the boys are ready and raring to go. They all want to play in the final. For today, we will try a few new combinations, and see with the numbers that we have what works well as we go forward,” said Kumpasa.
Their opponents, Panthers, are under the stewardship of George “Rollo” Mukorera, who said they are also looking at playing in the final and will, therefore, be no pushovers.
“These guys have experience; we are going to be the underdogs, but what I promise is that we are going to give them a run for their money at the end of the day. We are looking to be in that final,” said Mukorera.
OMs finished the round-robin stage with 35 points, while Warriors got 34. Third-placed Panthers managed 16 points, while Highlanders had eight points. Bulldogs were eliminated in the first round as they only got six points.
There are also three women’s quarter-final matches lined up today, with Panthers Ladies taking on Highlanders Ladies. Highlanders Ladies will then face the undefeated Warriors Ladies before Warriors engage Panthers Ladies.
Matches start at 12pm:
Archer Clothing Rugby League
Fixtures today:
Women’s quarter-finals: Panthers vs Highlanders (12pm); Highlanders vs Warriors (12.50pm), Warriors vs Panthers (13.40pm).
Men’s semi-finals: Old Miltonians vs Highlanders (2pm), Warriors vs Panthers (3.30pm).—@brandon_malvin
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