Hi All
I last played rugby way back in about 1983 – full back or fly half for the 3rd team at Old Georgians. There were so many guys playing club rugby in and around Harare in those days, that in 1984 OGs had a social 4th team playing too. In 1981 we (the thirsty thirds) were the top team in our league resulting in yours truly, the goal kicker, being mentioned as the leading points scorer in 1981 for Mashonaland in Jonty’s annual Rugby Magazine / Book.
Fast forward to the just ended 2026 rugby season. Those of you that were witness to the annual Georges / Johns or Peterhouse / Falcon derby days would have seen how big the crowds were – sadly (?) many more than those in attendance at the weekly club fixtures.
I was fortunate, over the weekend, to meet up with a leading personality in the Zimbabwe Rugby world and we started chatting about the Zimbabwe Sables squad that are preparing for the Rugby World Cup being played next year all around Australia. My new acquaintance spoke about the high standards shown in the ACT schools’ games. He told me how the really good players were snatched up by the professional teams like the Sharks and the Bulls whilst many of their peers were sent off to external universities. Few, if any, of these guys were still playing when they returned to Zimbabwe 3 or 4 years later.
On the other hand, youngsters that had attended government schools generally studied at local universities with many of them unable to finance club membership or transport money to attend weekly club practices – hence the fewer clubs being able to raise enough players for the weekend fixtures.
For the first 20 or 30 years after independence, sponsors like Cottco, Dairibord and Mwana held an annual week-long rugby festival at Prince Edward School with dozens of teams from far and wide playing their hearts out for the pride of their respective schools. The tournament included kids from primary, secondary, and tertiary schools. This well organised event gave many young boys a chance to play energetic, yet highly competitive, physical sport against guys they would not normally meet in their own school calendar. The net result was that it kept the sport of rugby alive and well. The better players were obviously also given more of a chance to be noticed by selectors.
Sadly this “Cottco” festival has fallen away due to lack of sponsorship. We need a few successful businesses to put up their hands and make this popular event happen again next year. Bambazonke Nhasi will surely be in attendance and give your organisation the coverage you deserve for showing your share of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). See you on the rugby field soon. Ciao Mike G