The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
ONE of the biggest schools rugby fiestas in the world in terms of participation, the Dairibord Schools Rugby Festival gets underway at Prince Edward High School in Harare tomorrow and will run until Saturday. Despite only one foreign team Livingstone Kolobeng College having confirmed participation, the festival promises fireworks with exciting local duels in store for the rugby enthusiasts.
The foreign teams that had shown interest in coming to the tournament were Windhoek Technical School of Namibia, Die Anker from South Africa and Botswana Under-19 but that did not materialise.
In addition, Bulawayo school, Christian Brothers College who had been included on the fixture list pulled out as the acting headmaster Kizito Muhomba was against their participation due to the expenses involved.
Matches will take place throughout the week at five grounds at PE and neighbouring Allan Wilson. The fields are Jubilee, Avenues, Chapel, Rhodes and Sable.
Some of the big clashes in store at the fiesta are the fixtures between PE and Peterhouse on Tuesday, and the Churchill and Falcon College duel on the same day.
On Thursday the PE Tigers go up against the Churchill Bulldogs in what should be an explosive contest while Saint George’s College meet Saint John’s College in the last match of the day.
The last day of the festival on Saturday sees Falcon clash with Peterhouse, Churchill against St George’s College, while the last match of the festival will see PE Tigers take on the St John’s College Rams who are coached by Zimbabwe born former Scotland international rugby player Scotty Gray.
In last year’s last match of the festival, PE defeated 2013 Zimbabwe schools rugby champions Peterhouse 21-6. The tournament concluding fixture usually attracts a huge crowd since the host school PE have over the years been involved most of the times.
Eaglesvale, under the guidance of then former Zimbabwe Sables assistant coach, and now head coach of the national 15s rugby team Cyprian Mandenge recorded the biggest upsets at last year’s festival with wins over Churchill and St John’s College.
Falcon College from Esigodini, the best rugby playing school in Matabeleland are the torch bearers for the region’s representatives who include Milton, Gifford, Plumtree, Petra, Bulawayo Select, Western Suburbs Select, Sobukhazi, Mzilikazi, Entumbane and Amhlophe.
Dairibord Zimbabwe Private Limited took over sponsorship of the festival last year from the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe who had bankrolled it for years.
The agreement between DZPL and the Sebastain Garikai-led organising committee is for three years.
