Young Sables get corporate boost

By Paul Munyuki
THE corporate world has expressed confidence in the Zimbabwe Under-20 rugby side with an array of companies coming on board to help the side prepare for their Junior World Rugby Trophy campaign.
According to the chairman of the Under-20 fundraising committee and former Sables winger, Aaron Jani, the companies have chipped in with packages aimed at improving the side’s welfare and boosting its campaign in the world junior tournament.
Zimbabwe are set to represent the continent for the second time in a row after winning the Africa Cup in Côte d’Ivoire last year when they beat bitter rivals Namibia in the final. The JWRT is expected to run from May 19 to June 5 in Tbilisi and Zimbabwe have been drawn in Pool B where they face hosts Georgia, Japan and Canada.
Six local companies have jumped on the Young Sables ship to help prepare them for the world event.
“We have been sponsored by a number of companies that include Pro-Fitness and Country Club gyms where all the locally-based players are having their gym sessions.
“Other companies that are also helping the side in their preparations and coming in with sponsorship include Seed Co, Interfin, Velvetea Petroleum and CFX Travel.
“This sponsorship is really very important because it shows the willingness of these companies to give to the communities they come from and it is also a sign of confidence in junior rugby in Zimbabwe.
“Such support also makes the boys work hard both on and off the field and given that we are going for the JWRT the support would not have come at a better time.
“We appreciate this support and we believe that it will go a long way in helping the team raise Zimbabwe’s flag high when we travel for the tournament,” said Jani.
The team is currently involved in the strength and conditioning programme where each of the players has been given a special diet and gym programme to follow monitored by fitness expert Grant Mitchelle.
“The locally-based boys are training at Pro-Fitness and Country Club gyms where Grant will be shuttling between the two gyms to make sure the boys are in a healthy condition. Each of the players has been given a special diet to follow depending on their condition at the time they were first assessed and Grant will be monitoring them during these sessions. We will review the boys’ condition at the weekend of Fenruary 19-21 where we are going to have a fitness test to measure the progress and how the boys have been reacting to their given programmes at Country Club,” said Jani.
Last year the Young Sables finished seventh at the world tournament but Chivandire still believes that his side has the potential to finish as one of the top teams this year.
Their opening game will be against Japan before playing hosts Georgia and rounding their Group B games with a date against Canada.
“To us the good thing about this draw is that we are not going to play the hosts in the opening game of the tournament and this gives us an opportunity to see how they play before we take them on.
“We get to know the environment and crowds they are capable of drawing when they are at home since rugby is one of their biggest sports and they will be at home.
“Playing Japan in the opening game after we drew against them last year actually puts pressure on us in the sense that according to last year’s result little separates us.
“They believe that they would have won the game last year and they have their daggers drawn and I felt we had a chance and were good enough (to have won the game) but all of us being there means we are all good teams.”
Last year Japan and Zimbabwe drew 20-20.
“I am happy this will be the first time that we are going to play Canada in the second game of the tournament as well because in the past we have opened against them.
“Again we are also going to get a chance to study them before playing them because in the previous we would get to pay without knowing or seeing how they play,” said the former Sables coach.
Five of the players in this year’s squad, including captain Daniel Turner, Charles Jiji and Takudzwa Mandiwanza, are expected to steady the ship as they were also part of the side that toured Russia last year.