The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda Senior Sports Reporter
WHILE locally based rugby players are missing out on action due to the premature end to the National Rugby League, the South Africa based local stars are enjoying some action in that country.KwaZulu Natal based Zimbabwe Sables loose forward and Zimbabwe Cheetahs front rower Biselele Tshamala is one of the players who has made his presence felt in that country.
The 23-year-old is having a great season, which has seen him win a number of individual accolades.
Tshamala turns out for Varsity College in the KZN Fidelity Security Moor Cup Premier Division where he played an instrumental role in getting his club to the final of the Castle Murray Cup.
The former Plumtree High School pupil earned a number of man-of-the-match awards in the Murray Cup.
He first won R1 000 for being the best player when Varsity College took on Newcastle Highlanders in the qualifiers of the tournament, before pocketing R3 000 for being the player of the match when his side defeated College Rovers 24-19 in their own backyard to set up a clash in the final against Amanzimtoti.
In the finals on 30 August at Nashua Crusaders Rugby Football Club, Amanzimtoti triumphed 24-21 in extra time over Varsity College. Even though his team lost, Tshamala still took home R10 000 for being the most valuable player in the competition.
“It was great for me winning the most valuable player award but I would have been better off if we had won the cup,’’ said Tshamala.
His exploits at flank for Varsity did not go unnoticed as he was drafted into the Sharks Club XV for the South African Rugby Union Central Amateur Provincial Championship played in Margate last week.
He made the Sharks Club XV last Monday with other Zimbabweans playing club rugby in KZN. These are the Durban Collegians duo of hooker Royal Mwale: lock forward Witness Mandizha, versatile backline player Shayne Makombe (University of KwaZulu Natal) and second rower Sanele Sibanda of College Rovers.
Tshamala believes that the call-up was a reward for the outstanding season he had with Varsity College.
If the Sharks Club XV comes out tops in the Central Amateur Provincial Championship, they will then proceed to Cape Town to play against the winners of the Cape Province.
Sables coach Brendan Dawson might be regretting why he left Tshamala out of Zimbabwe’s squad for the 2015 International Rugby Board Rugby World Cup qualifiers as shown by the young loose forward’s form in South Africa. Tshamala was not the only player snubbed for national duty by Dawson. The trio of Mwale, Mandizha and Makombe were also not part of the futile qualifying process which saw Zimbabwe lose to Russia in an inter-confederation qualifier.
Zimbabwe had finished second to Namibia in the Africa Cup Division 1A played in Antananarivo, Madagascar, last July. Among the five who made it into the Sharks Club XV, Sibanda is the only one who donned the green and white jersey in Madagascar as well as in Russia.
Tshamala revealed that he was disappointed about being left out of the Sables squad but was now coping with the setback.
“I was disappointed and it was a tough pill to swallow but then again I learnt I had to move on as you won’t always get what you want in life,’’ said Tshamala.
With the great form Tshamala has exhibited in South Africa, it will therefore come as no surprise if Dawson turns to him as well as Mwale, Mandizha and Makombe if the Sables succeed in playing Namibia in Windhoek on 1 November.
Tshamala is also in Cheetahs coach Gilbert Nyamutsamba’s plans for the upcoming 2014/15 IRB World Sevens Series season having made his international debut for the national sevens team last season.
