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Paul Munyuki Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union is planning to have its own league as the current national rugby league seems to be struggling for sponsorship.
Currently, the NRL is run by an independent executive led by president Noddy Kanyangarara but the league is not affiliated to the ZRU despite the fact that players from this competition feed into the national team.
The idea of having a league that the rugby mother body is involved in was mooted by former director of rugby, Liam Middleton, who has since been replaced by Brighton Chivandire.

Chivandire is expected to meet the ZRU board on the same issue when he gets down to business as the rugby chiefs are interested in knowing how best they can run the league.

This year the NRL failed to last the full distance as games were only played up to mid-season and coffers ran dry.
“We all know that the local league has to feed into the national teams and without a sound rugby league, our national teams are bound to struggle or even fail,” said one of the agents working with the ZRU.

“So there is need for the ZRU to make sure that games are played throughout the whole year, throughout the season.
“Chivandire, being the incoming director of rugby, it is his duty to make sure that the nation has a strong league running and what happened with the local league this year was unfortunate because no sponsor committed to it.

“This is why the ZRU are looking at ways to have a league and Chivandire will have to be involved in this, meeting with the Union board, show direction and put in place the correct structures needed to have such a competition running flawlessly.

“Even SARU general manager in charge of development, Marvin Green, earlier on encouraged the ZRU to have a competitive domestic league to feed into the national teams, there is no country that can do without a good domestic league.

“But looking at the fact that there already is a committee running a local league, it would only be reasonable if Chivandire and the ZRU engage Kanyangarara and his board.

“They have the experience and they have been doing this for a long time.”
Kanyangarara yesterday said he was not aware of the issue.

“I have no idea there is anything like that happening at the ZRU because they have not contacted me nor have they sent me a formal communiqué telling me of their intended plans,” said Kanyangarara.

“But if there is anything we are willing to talk because we are all here for rugby and developing the game for Zimbabwe.” However, it’s not like the ZRU have a battery of sponsors to run a lot of projects as they have been struggling financially.

The annual grant from the International Rugby Board is their only source of income.
Old Mutual have come on board the ZRU ship but they are only interested in bankrolling developmental programmes that go up to the Under-18 level.