Tigers for SA

Shingi Mugabe Sports Reporter
local rugby club – Tigers – have been invited by the Investec International Rugby Academy of Pietersmaritzburg, South Africa, to take part in their training camp which will run from December 10-16. Tigers, who are based in the Eastlea area of Harare, are mainly comprised of primary school children from some of the elite rugby schools in the country and have selected their best players for this training camp.

Leroy Mandiringa, a former Churchill Bulldogs player, will be in charge of the team which will play some matches towards the end of the camp to assess the players’ progress. “We are going there to learn and gain some experience from a country that clearly plays better rugby than we do, and maybe we can learn a few tricks from them.

“At such a young age, the kids need to be exposed to the game to make it easier for the coaches to groom them into proper athletes and rugby players. “It will also be an exchange programme but it would mostly be a learning curve for Zimbabwe because we still have a long way to go in terms of rugby,” said Mandiringa.

“This invitation comes at a time when we need to develop rugby from the grassroots level and this is where we should be starting and it’s also a good opportunity for the kids to grow into the sport as professional rugby players,” he added. Mandiringa, as a young and new coach, says he will be looking forward to the experience he will gain during the training camp since he is new at coaching.

“I am new in the coaching game and I am looking forward to this experience because it is something that I have not done before. I am still playing rugby but I saw this not only as an opportunity for the kids but also for myself to learn as much as I can from retired players,” he said.

Former Springbok players namely Peter de Villliers, Brent Russell and Butch James are expected to be present at the training camp to bring more experience as well as help motivate the kids. “The retired Springboks are expected to be at the camp to help motivate and teach the kids in the manner in which the sport should be played,” Mandiringa said.