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Bukhosi Mangena Sports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE national senior rugby team coach Cyprian Mandenge has said his side’s humiliating loss to Namibia in the Africa Cup 1A in Windhoek on Saturday was indicative of the growing incompetence at the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU).
The Sables were hammered 6-80 and Mandenge said poor preparations caused by ZRU’s failure to put the team into camp was the major reason for their humiliation. He questioned the administrative abilities of those tasked with running affairs at the rugby governing body.
“What you put is what you get at the end of the day. It’s very unfortunate that it’s me and the players that get all the stick at the end of the day when it’s actually someone out there who isn’t doing their job properly,” said Mandenge.
“The union failed us as they didn’t do things properly. They knew we were up against tougher and organised opponents but they still didn’t properly support us.”
He blasted the poor running of the local league saying ZRU was not committed to the growth of the game. The national rugby league was discontinued due to lack of resources, leaving regions to organise their own tournaments.
Bulawayo and the Midlands have no running league leaving Harare as the only province with a functional league. This has severely limited the selection pool for the national team.
“Even if you look at our league, you’ll see that it’s poor as the standards have gone down terribly. Local players wouldn’t have even made the second team during our playing days. There aren’t enough training resources and if you compare us with Namibia and Kenya, then you’ll see that we’re joking.
“Those guys have invested millions into the growth of the sport and that’s why we’re now struggling to beat Kenya, who we used to beat every time long back,” he said.
ZRU’s director of rugby Bright Chivandire noted Mandenge’s grievances and said they were doing all they could to pool resources and get sponsorship for the game.
“As a union, we did our best to make sure that the team got the best for their preparations.
“We’re aware of all these problems that have been mentioned, but it all goes down to the resources.
“We’re still looking for sponsors to help us with the league as well as the handling of future tournaments,” said Chivandire.
The Sables beat Tunisia and Kenya in their group before the heavy loss to the World Cup bound Namibians.
Online Reporter