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Petros Kausiyo
IN a rare fortnight for rugby, the country enjoyed a huge fiesta of the game with all key facets of the sport being serviced.
It started with the country hosting the Africa Rugby Barthes Trophy for the Under-20 teams at Harare Sports Club.
Defending champions Zimbabwe, however, came a cropper in the final, surrendering the title to Kenya who beat them 28-13 to proceed to represent Africa at the World Junior Trophy.
As the curtain came down on the Barthes Trophy tourney, which also featured Namibia and Tunisia, the Mwana Schools festival burst into life at Prince Edward that featured Epworth’s Domboramwari, Nhowe and Dzivarasekwa.
Across town while St John’s College hosted the Derby Day competition that had the likes of Lomagundi, Peterhouse, St George’s, Falcon, Hillcrest and Kyle.
The senior national teams – the Sables for the men and the Lady Sables – then brought a fitting end to the Mwana festival when they featured in Test matches against Zambia with both sides winning over Zimbabwe’s northern neighbours.
The two-week fiesta has left the Zimbabwe Rugby Union purring and looking to use similar events to further develop the game across the country.
Last month the ZRU partnered with their Chitungwiza affiliate to stage a successful Southern City invitational at Damview hotel and leisure centre.
ZRU president Aaron Jani said yesterday they would continue with their thrust to take rugby to more centres.
Jani said while the Sables would now shift focus to their upcoming Africa Cup assignment, the union would not take the foot off the pedal in spreading the game and providing a platform for more players to express their talents.
“It has been a very exciting week, we had two big tournaments.
“We had the Mwana Group festival at PE, it was very exciting to see the development and the enthusiasm from schools that had stopped playing rugby who came through and participated, so this tournament was mainly focused on the development of rugby and it was very exciting and very well-supported,” Jani said.
“Then we also had the Derby Day, which was focused on performance, the more competitive teams in the schools and it was good to see the level of rugby being played, the quality of the rugby being played and it was exciting to see the level of support that the Derby Day was given.
“In addition, we had the two internationals with the men and the women playing against Zambia of which won both of those games. What was more relevant and exciting is that as women, we have not beaten Zambia in a while and it was exciting that we have begun a new path and we hope that imr0vement continues to grow.
Jani added that such festivals were critical for the ZRU’s bid to grow the game in the country.
“So, this kind of rugby is important in terms of building a base for the growth of the game in Zimbabwe… what this means is that we are getting very valuable game time across the board that is for the development side and the high-performance side.
“This level of game time enables us to grow talent and identify players that we can develop for the various national teams that we have.
“So, we expect that the talent that we saw during the festivals will manifest itself into the Cheetahs, the Men’s XVs, and the Women’s teams as we continue with the growth of the game, Jani said.
The younger players have also continued to benefit through Tag rugby which is art of the union’s long term athlete development programme.
Away from the schools’ gala, newly crowned Nedbank Challenge Cup champions Harare Sports Club welcomed, Zambian kings Red Arrows, the Machinery Exchange stadium.
The visit, marked by a cordial facilities tour and mutual admiration, underscored the blossoming camaraderie between two of the club rugby powerhouses in Southern Africa.
Just like Sports Cub, Red Arrows have been the dominant force in Zambia.
Harare Sports Club chairman Osborne Muhambi expressed his delight at the strengthening bond between the two clubs.
“Our recent triumph in the Nedbank Challenge Cup has invigorated our passion for the sport, and welcoming Red Arrows to our home turf is a testament to the enduring friendship and mutual respect we share.
“As champions in our respective nations, we are united by a common goal, to elevate African rugby to new heights.”
Red Arrows representative Gilbert Sinkamba, spoke about the need to foster greater collaboration and growth within the African rugby community.
“Our journey to Harare Sports Club is not merely a courtesy visit; it is a celebration of our shared love for the game and a reaffirmation of our commitment to excellence,” Sinkamba said.
“As national champions in Zambia, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our Zimbabwean counterparts, united in our pursuit of rugby greatness.”
Online Reporter