Langa Mabena
Brandon Moyo
BULAWAYO rugby side, Western Suburbs were crowned champions of the 2024 Old Mutual Insurance 10s rugby tournament that was played at Midlands Christian School (MCS) in Gweru.
Western Suburbs had an invincible campaign on their way to being crowned the best 10s rugby team in the country. They played nine matches and convincingly won all of them including a trouncing of the hosts, MCS in the final.
The Bulawayo based side, which was under the tutelage of Busani Ncube thumped MCS 35-5 in the final to round up their total dominance. In the final, they handed MCS their first defeat after the Gweru-based outfit had gone for eight games without tasting defeat.
Western Suburbs were in Pool B of the tournament and opened their campaign against Cecil John Rhodes School whom they walloped 36-0 before going on to face Mbare Academy in a game that they won 7-0. In their third round, Ncube’s boys were up against Hillcrest and they emerged as 17-5 winners.
They would go on to beat Kyle 19-0 in round four. The victory over Kyle was followed by a 28-0 thrashing of Takunda and a 17-0 win over Muwunga. Their seventh match was against Goldridge and they won 26-0 before going on to complete their round robin games with a 48-5 win over Mpumelelo to finish with 24 points, the same number of points as their opponents in the final, MCS.
Ncube said he was impressed with the way his team played and believes that it provides a good mental test for his players. He added that the most difficulty was getting the young players to concentrate as one cannot play in the final if they lose one game.
“MCS Old Mutual 10s is always an eye-opener for the boys as they get to play a maximum of 10 games without much resting between games.
The tournament helps build mental strength and is a great endurance test for the kids. For the coaches it’s always hard to control the boys’ excitement of being away from home and getting them to concentrate especially in the first two games.
“The tournament is set up in a way that if you lose one game you cannot play in the final. So, keeping the boys positive throughout is always a good lesson for us all. Winning it is always something special for our boys.
Having to go through teams like Mbare Academy, Kyle Preparatory and MCS builds more confidence for our kids going forward,” said Ncube.
Old Mutual 10s brings together schools and academies from all over the country. It is for Under-13 boys. — @brandon_malvin
Online Reporter