ZRU boss optimistic on reaping rewards from Youth Rugby fest

ZIMBABWE Rugby Union chief executive officer, Blessing Chiutare believes the South African Youth Weeks give great good exposure to schoolboy rugby players which in turn prepares them for the Sables.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week as well as Academy Week which ended yesterday at St Stithians’ College in Johannesburg, Chiutare said the annual tournaments have afforded Zimbabwe an opportunity to give exposure to eight props.

“The importance is to actually expose as many people, as many players as possible, as you know this should be a roadmap to the Sables so right now we have eight props that have been exposed to a higher level of rugby and not just to their schoolboy rugby so the numbers are very important in that we have more players ready to go to Under-20 then eventually Sables. We know we will lose some by the wayside but at least we would have exposed a lot,’’ said Chiutare.

Zimbabwe have struggled over the years at the Craven Week with one win in nine matches since 2014 prior to this year’s competition. To Chiutare, what matters is the experience that the local youngsters gain when they come to South Africa. He pointed out that the Zimbabwean lads will always find the going tough against South African opposition due to preparations.

“The results in a way yes, they matter, but its two sided, you have got to realise that the teams that they are playing have probably played four or so games before they come here against other strong provinces whereas our teams haven’t played so what does it say, we need to give our boys game time to be able to compete but number two, our boys are still being exposed so yes, the result matters but that exposure we can’t take it away, the experience cannot be taken away from them,’’ he said.

Even though Zimbabwe have now added an Academy Week side in 2017, something that they have not had over the years, it is apparent that the priority is the Craven Week side which is still seen as the elite team. Chiutare stressed that both teams were equally important.

“Both teams are equally important, remember earlier on I said we have exposed eight props, I did not say four props, I said eight props, we carry four props per team and all of them as far as I am concerned have been exposed, yes, in terms of earlier thinking and the way it’s staged here because they play on field B, they might think that it’s a demotion, no its not. I am looking, I am seeing them and I am pointing them out,’’ Chiutare said.

In terms of team selection, something that has been a contentious issue for years now, Chiutare is convinced that the players who made the Zimbabwe Under17 team for the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week in Bloemfontein should be the core for next year’s Under18 Craven Week.

“In terms of Craven Week, there should be that progression, we had Under-17, that Under-17 team should form the core of next year’s Craven Week and then those extras that come in, come in and fit in so any coach that is appointed to coach Craven Week next year should actually start working with Craven Week,’’ he said.

Preparations by the Junior Sables have also been blamed for their poor show in South Africa. Chiutare is eager to see the players given some game time ahead of such assignments so as to prepare them for the huge challenges they face from the opposition from South Africa and Namibia.

“What we need to do is to get these guys games before they come here like I said earlier on, they are playing opposition that’s played three or four strong provincial games and then we are trying to compete with that,’’ said Chiutare.

The ZRU most senior member of the secretariat was in South Africa from last Saturday until Friday when he flew to Bulawayo for the Rugby Africa Gold Cup fixture between Zimbabwe and Kenya at Hartsfield yesterday.