By Lawrence Trusida Sport Editor
THE national under-20 Rugby team, the Junior Sables, is geared up for the Barthes Trophy set for Nairobi, Kenya from the 9th to the 17th of this month.
The Under-20 Barthes Trophy which is named after the late World Rugby’s Rugby Services Manager for Africa, Jean-Luc Barthes, is the biggest competition for Under-20 players on the continent, with the winners qualifying for the World Rugby Junior Trophy.
Zimbabwe will be joined in the six-team competition by hosts Kenya, Madagascar, Senegal, Tunisia, Cote d’Ivoire and Zambia.
Speaking on the sidelines of a kit handover and send-off ceremony, Junior Sables coach, Sean De Souza believes the local rugby governing body has laid a solid foundation for the national Under-20 rugby team to succeed when they represent the country in Kenya.
” We are very prepared and I can proudly say that we are ready for this tournament we had probably the best preparations possible and we will bring back the trophy,” said the Junior Sables coach.
The team captain is proud of the efforts the team has put thus far.
” I am proud to lead this group of boys, the dedication from the team has been something else they put in the hours even extra hours sometimes to get where we are but this is a starting point we now need to do the job in Kenya,” said captain Takudzwa Musingwini.
The team is set to depart Harare this Thursday morning for Nairobi and will play a friendly match before kicking off their campaign with a date against Tunisia this Saturday.