Zimpapers Logo

Mbachi Mutukula-Magerere Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union have selected a provisional 35-member girls squad from the Dairibord Schools Rugby Festival to tour South Africa in July.The association’s director of rugby, Brighton Chivandire, said he was impressed by the standards of the game displayed by the girls at the festival.

The squad will be officially announced on Friday.

“We are happy that we were able to come up with 35 players from the Dairibord Festival. It was a successful festival.

“To raise girls rugby from the grassroots level, we need to take part in international events and not just in the local ones,” said Chivandire.

Chivandire said it has been unfortunate that the country does not have a girls national team to take part in international festivals.

“If we want to grow the sport from the grassroots level, then we need to have a girls’ national team to represent us at international tournaments.

“We have made a proposal to South Africa to go to their festival with a Zimbabwe Under-18 girls team and it is going to be in July.

“We are very positive that we are going to get a positive answer from the South Africa Rugby Union and the good part about the festival is that it is equivalent to the Craven Week which the boys go to.”