tawandamusarurwa
Tinashe Kusema
Deputy Sports Editor
PANASHE ZUZE’s recent trip with the Zimbabwe Under-20 team to Kenya for the Junior World Trophy was anything but forgettable.
When the 19-year-old was handed the Junior Sables captaincy earlier this year, little did the pint-sized scrumhalf know that he would spend no more than seven minutes on the field of play before his dream debut at the prestigious tournament turned into a nightmare.
He suffered a terrible knee injury during the opener against Scotland.
“It was during the Scotland game, around the seventh minute, and there was a line-out, which they won and tried to drive us back,” recalled Zuze.
“I tried to help, despite my small structure, and push them out.
“However, as they crossed the line, the maul collapsed and some of their forwards fell onto my leg and I hyper-extended my knee inwards.
“This stretched it and strained my meniscus.”
Zuze’s agony was exacerbated by the fact that the team went on to lose 64-33 as he haplessly watched from the sidelines.
The game is best remembered for two things — the first being a second-half blitz by the Junior Sables, which saw them score five tries to restore some respectability to the result.
The second was, however, the physical toll the game had on the Junior Sables, as lock Huntley Masterson would go on to be ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a fractured hand.
Zuze remained in camp, hoping he would recover in time for the team’s last group game against the United States or, at the very least, the play-off match against Kenya.
The stricken skipper, however, decided to find other means to help out the team from the sidelines.
“There was always a chance that I could have played the US game or, at least, the final game against Kenya, and I tried my hardest to rehabilitate and work through the pain.
“Unfortunately, the knee just wouldn’t come around and I decided against forcing things. I didn’t want to force things, get injured again, and, possibly, never play again,” he said.
Sitting out the rest of the tournament turned out to be a wise choice.
“Getting injured is not ideal, but watching from the sidelines taught me a valuable lesson in that there is more to being a captain than being on the field . . .
“I found ways to help out during the game and during training sessions, and just talking to the guys and helping them improve and win.”The Junior Sables went through some turbulent times during the course of the tournament.
Defeats to Scotland and Uruguay, who thumped them 66-33 and 51-14, respectively, crashed their dream of winning promotion into the glamourous and yet tougher World Under-20 Championships.
After their early setback, they bounced back with a narrow but thrilling 38-37 win over the US, before underlining their dominance over Kenya when handing the tournament hosts a massive 64-10 hiding.
“Like any champion, it’s not how you start but how you finish that counts, and the wins against the US and Kenya come as some form of consolation,” added Zuze.
“We played poorly in the first two games, and that was mostly due to nerves, but we improved a lot as the tournament progressed.
“We showed a lot of character in that win against the US, and showed the world what we are capable of in the win over Kenya.”
As the dust from the trip to Kenya settles, Zuze is ready for the next challenge, which should see him resume his education, preferably with a scholarship and a professional rugby career to spice it up.
Online Reporter