Let the games begin

The Sunday Mail

LATE confirmation due to an impasse between the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) and the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), as well as late venue changes and the trimming of participants from eight to four, shows organising this year’s Barthes Trophy has not been smooth.

However, the darkness seems to have subsided and now all the attention is on Harare Sports Club, where the Zimbabwe Junior Sables kick off their Barthes Trophy campaign with a game against Tunisia on Saturday.

Four teams — Kenya, Tunisia, Namibia and hosts Zimbabwe — are expected to slug it out at the World Rugby third-tier competition, slated for April 20 to 28 at the sports club’s Machinery Exchange grounds.

The ZRU has been busy the last couple of days, putting the final touches in preparation for the week-long age group rugby extravaganza.

“We are well on course in terms of preparations for this year’s Barthes Trophy,” said ZRU chief executive officer Sifiso Made. “We have had several local organising committees that we tasked with ensuring that we put our best foot forward and host a tournament we can all be proud of.” — Zimpapers Sports Hub.