The Sunday Mail
AS Shingi Katsvere was preparing to take part in arguably the biggest game of his entire career last Saturday, the 22-year-old took to Facebook.
The former Prince Edward and Churchill Boys High student posted a picture of himself in his very first Sables kit and accompanied it with a caption that read Isaiah 41:9-13.
Reads part of the scripture posted by Katsvere: “Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness…”
One-career defining performance later, Katsvere, nephew to the late Dynamos legend Eddie, was being touted as the future of Zimbabwean rugby after planting two majestic tries as the Sables drew 23-all with Morocco at Harare Sports Club.
A week after his debut, it’s all yet to sink in.
“To be really honest, a Sables debut is something I never thought was part of the plan,” he said.
“But now that it’s over and done, I’m just thankful I had the opportunity to experience it and I thank God. Through Him all things are possible.”
It would be too simplistic, and a tad bit lazy, to just look back at Katsvere’s exploits last weekend and hail it as a sign that he is the real deal.
However, the two tries from the Mbare Academy product were examples of why his prodigious emergence has surprised very few.
The first was a 23rd-minute dash from deep inside his own 22, right up to the Moroccan try line.
“My first instinct was to simply clear our lines and relieve some of the pressure we were under,” revealed Katsvere.
“However, when I saw their fullback fumble the ball, I attacked and luckily beat him for pace.”
The second try, which was more of a team effort, “…..was one we had practiced during our camps, and I remember coach De Villiers saying he would kill me if I fumbled or failed to score during our drills.
“He was probably joking when he said that, or at least I hope he was. He says things like that all the time.”
It remains to be seen how Katsvere develops from here but in Peter De Villiers, the youngster appears to be in safe hands.
“One of the lessons I have learnt from coach De Villiers is to put God first and have faith in one’s own abilities. When we first met, I fancied myself an average sprinter, but the faith he showed me made me vow to work towards being the fastest and most skilful player in the team,” said the rookie.
