Southern 7s tourney on today

IT will be showtime at Midlands Christian School in Gweru when the Southern Sevens rugby tournaments busts into life this morning.

The inaugural event powered by funding from a Bulawayo company Sable Chickens is expected to feature senior men’s and senior women’s sides with participants drawn from local Colleges and University Clubs.

The tournament is expected to be held in three cities with the first tourney being held in Midlands (Gweru) followed by Mutare and the grand finale in Harare.

Zimbabwe Rugby Union vicepresident Martin Shone who is leading the organising committee of the tourney said yesterday that they were ready to successfully stage the tournament as all the teams have been preparing well in their respective provinces.

“Most of the facilities are ready as well as the practising and playing grounds. We are ready and we have been finalising the finer aspects of the preparations.

“The motive behind this inaugural tournament is to grow the sport of rugby especially the sevens as well as try and assist the coaches to select best players out of the competition and groom them for the national team.

“Our main aim is to create a platform to raise awareness and engage the general public and corporate world so that they will be aware of what is taking place and have full knowledge about the sevens tournaments”, said Shone.

Shone said among the 13 senior teams which have confirmed their participation is a club from Botswana – Spartans – who are bringing a men’s senior team and will add an international flavour to it the tourney.

Others include Matebeleland men’s two teams and ladies two teams, Gwanda men’s, Midlands men’s two teams, MSU select, Midlands ladies, Zambezi ladies, GZU men’s and ladies.