Busy schedule for junior rugby teams

Sport
ZIMBABWE’S junior rugby teams face a busy schedule this month with four national representative sides scheduled to compete in the annual South Africa Rugby Union (Saru) Youth Weeks tournaments starting in Cape Town and Kimberly, South Africa this week.

ZIMBABWE’S junior rugby teams face a busy schedule this month with four national representative sides scheduled to compete in the annual South Africa Rugby Union (Saru) Youth Weeks tournaments starting in Cape Town and Kimberly, South Africa this week.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

The Old Mutual-sponsored national under-13 and Under-16 sides will get the ball rolling from tomorrow in the U-13 Coca-Cola Craven Week and U-16, Coca-Cola Grant Khomo Week which will both be hosted at Paarl Gymnasium School in the Western Cape.

The under-13s, who are under the guidance of former South Africa-based star player Gordon Pangeti, will open their campaign with a tough encounter against Griquas on Tuesday morning, while the Under-16 kick start their campaign against Border Country Districts later in the day.

The two sides will only know of their next opposition after they know the results of the opening encounters.

Last year, the Under-13 side lost three matches against the Blue Bulls (40-0), Griquas (15-7) and Namibia (14-13) before managing a 14-14 draw with Free State Cheetahs, to return home from Mpumalanga without a win.

And the young side will be eager to do better at this year’s tournament which will yet again feature the top provincial sides from South Africa as well as the Namibia national side.

While the Old Mutual Under-13 national side will be seeking a change of fortunes, the Under-16 side will be eager to maintain their good record after a solid campaign last year in Oudtshoorn.

The Under-16 side, which is coached by former Sables winger Douglas Trivella, managed two wins against Border Country Districts (36-3) and Namibia (21-7) with their only defeat of the tournament coming in their first match against Griquas (20-17).

Zimbabwe’s Under-18 girls’ rugby team, which is also being bankrolled by Old Mutual Zimbabwe, will also be heading to South Africa for the second year running as they are scheduled to take part in the U-18 Girls Craven Week to be held from July 3-8 in Kimberly.

The girls team defied the odds last year and wrote their own piece of history when they finished in the top three in their maiden appearance at the U-18 Girls Craven Week last year in Durban.

Zimbabwe’s Under-18 boys side will be the last junior national team in action in South Africa when they take part in the U-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week tournament to be played at Kearsney College in Durban from July 11-16.

The youth side, which is coached by Godwin Murambiwa, has performed dismally in the last two editions of the tournament, failing to register a single victory in six attempts. The last time Zimbabwe won a game at the U-18 Craven Week was in 2013 when they bashed the Limpopo Blue Bulls 43-5.

Old Mutual Zimbabwe are the official sponsor of all the four representative national sides as part of their broad sponsorship of schools rugby that covers development of teams in previously disadvantaged communities, tag rugby as well as provincial and national select sides.

About the Coca-Cola Craven Week:

The Coca-Cola Craven Week is an annual rugby union tournament aimed at identifying the top school rugby players in the country.

The tournament started in July 1964, is named after the legendary Springbok rugby union player and coach Dr Danie Craven. Coca-Cola became the naming rights sponsor in 1985. There are four tournaments that take place during the Coca-Cola Youth Weeks, namely the Coca-Cola Under-13 Craven Week, Coca-Cola Under-16 Grant Khomo Week, Coca-Cola Under-18 Academy Week and the Coca-Cola Under-18 Craven Week.

Many of South Africa’s top rugby players have participated in the Coca-Cola Craven Weeks as a springboard to their professional careers, including former World Cup winning captains John Smit and Francois Pienaar.