Sundaymail Editor
Deputy Sports Editor
NATIONAL rugby Under-20 coach Shaun De Souza and his team find themselves in unfamiliar waters.
As underdogs at last year’s Barthes Trophy in Kenya, they had it easy.
They only needed to play as best as they could.
The tour was highly successful, as the Junior Sables narrowly beat Tunisia 19-18, eased past Madagascar 32-3 and defeated Namibia 19-14 in the final to claim the trophy. But now, as African champions, Zimbabwe are the team to beat, when they return to the East African nation for this year’s campaign.
There will be an extra incentive for the eight nations at the tournament — a ticket to the Junior World Trophy.
“Being defending champions is not an easy task as we have to work extra hard,” said De Souza.
“If you noticed, I announced the high-performance squad earlier than I did last year, and this is because we have to start preparing for the tournament earlier, work harder and be more focused than we were last year.
“We are all excited; we have the calibre, the personnel, and just need to have the determination and the heart.
“Earning that spot for the Junior World Trophy is our number one priority.”
As the Junior Sables are expected to regroup this afternoon, the coach has been busy with preparations.
The 45-year-old has become a permanent fixture at the ongoing domestic Paramount Garments Under-20 League, where he has been keeping an eye on some of his boys and looking for fresh talent.
Last week, he announced an extended 73-member squad.
“The reason this squad is so big is that we wanted to give opportunities to guys who might not come from the top sides but have what it takes,” he said.
“We have selected guys from clubs like FS Raiderz and Zimbiru, and really want to give everyone a chance with the high-performance setup and see what they have got.
“Not everyone is going to make the final cut but training with this squad will, at the very least, help with their development.
“The depth of the squad is giving us more options to look at and more competition.”
The coach has also opted for some continuity by including a handful of players who featured in last year’s Barthes Trophy and the tour of Canada.
These include Tanaka GondoMukandapi, Panashe Zuze, Simbarashe Kanyangarara, Alex Nyamunda and Shadreck Mandaza.
De Souza has also given a second chance to those who had been called up for either the Barthes Trophy or the Canada tour last year but did not manage to be part of the travelling parties.
After trooping into camp today, the Junior Sables are expected to undergo a month-long training camp, after which they will take part in the 2023 edition of the Nedbank Rugby Challenge.
Friendly matches in Botswana are also on the cards before the team travels to Kenya for the finals.
“The general preparations have been going on well, as we had a couple of guys from university (foreign-based contingent) coming in for our November and December camp.
“For assessment, we had an open training session for anyone in Zimbabwe who fits the grade and wants to join the team,” added De Souza.
“We always have this window available to us, but we have since closed it and now want to start preparing for the Barthes Trophy.”
Online Reporter