Tinashe Kusema
THERE is nothing that Allan Mawunga loves more than a little “good old-fashioned contact”.
It serves as his motivation to rise up each morning, and provides him with a sense of satisfaction whenever he steps onto the field.
Following years of unsuccessful attempts in football, handball and subsequently basketball, the 20-year-old Junior Sables forward seems to have ultimately found his place on the rugby pitch.
“Well, rugby wasn’t my first love,” said Mawunga.
“When I was still in primary school, I was very much into football and then later played a little handball.
“When those sports didn’t do much for me, I tried my luck at basketball.”
While he was good at football, handball and basketball, the three disciplines did not really provide the contact that he so desperately yearned for.
“I just fell in love with rugby when I was introduced to it sometime after the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
“I remember when I used to play football, I used to tackle people hard; and was kind of a bully (enforcer) on the basketball court.
“The thing that separates rugby from the other sports is that tackling people on the rugby pitch is totally legal.
“There is the added bonus that this sport can actually take me further than I ever envisioned football, basketball and handball could,” he revealed.
Mawunga’s meteoric rise in the space of three years has been nothing short of astonishing. He found a home at Old Hararians and currently holds a senior position within the Zimbabwe Junior Sables team.
More on that later.
In New Zealand’s number eight Ardie Savea, Mawunga has found a role model; one he hopes to emulate to reach the dizzy heights his talents deserve.
“To me, Savea is the best number eight in the world,” he added.
“He currently plays for the New Zealand All Blacks, and I just love the way he plays; his explosiveness and agility.
“He is a tough tackling player, who plays more like a backliner yet he is a forward,” he explained.
While there is still plenty of time for Mawunga to follow in the footsteps of his role model, and maybe play rugby professionally, the 20-year-old has a few pressing issues to attend to this year.
He is among a handful of Junior Sables players who will be graduating from the team after this term. And how appropriate that Zimbabwe have been given yet another chance to host this latest Barthes Trophy competition!
For Mawunga, and many others in the team, it is an opportunity to right a grievous wrong from the last edition.
Zimbabwe missed out on a hat-trick of titles and another berth at the Junior World Trophy when they went down to Kenya 28-13 in last year’s final.
And Mawunga, like many others in last year’s squad, still remembers this.
“Last year’s Barthes Trophy was tough; we didn’t take that defeat to Kenya very well,” he said.
“I remember, when we got back to the hotel, some of the guys were crying.
“It took days and, for some, months to get over the disappointment.”
On what went wrong, the 20-year-old blamed complacency on the part of the Junior Sables.
“The pressure got the best of us. We were complacent going into the match, after comfortably beating Kenya the previous year, and, as such, had no response when things fell apart in the first half,” he said.
“Luckily, we are set to get another chance to atone for that disappointment and redeem ourselves. It is nice that we get another chance to play again in front of our family and friends, and everyone is geared up for the tournament.
“The boys are looking sharp in training, looking hungry, and the preparations are going on rather well.”
Zimbabwe are set to host the 2025 edition of the Barthes Trophy, with the tournament slated for April 17-27 at Harare Sports Club.
However, before that, the Junior Sables are scheduled to take part in the Nedbank Rugby Challenge, a preseason tournament primarily founded to help the team prepare for their international assignments.
The local tournament, set for March 29-April 15, will see the Zimbabwe Under-20 training squad divided into two teams: the Junior Sables and a “Grassroots to Greatness” developmental ensemble.
Junior Sables coach Shaun De Souza is expected to name the 30-member squad for the Barthes Trophy on April 5.
