Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE country’s best among rugby playing schools are converging at Mutare Boys’ High School for this year’s edition of the National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH) national finals.
The annual competitions started yesterday (Thursday), and expected to reach their climax today (Friday).
Mutare Boys’ High and Marist Nyanga boys are this year’s Manicaland representatives in the potentially explosive NASH national rugby finals, also featuring Mutare Girls’ High and Lydia Chimonyo Girls’ High as girls’ provincial representatives.
In the boys’ competition, Mashonaland East is being represented by Marondera High School, while Matebeleland South is being represented by Plumtree High School.
Ellis Robin is representing Harare Metropolitan.
Bulawayo Metropolitan have Milton High School as their representatives, while Mashonaland Central has Mazowe High School.
Thornhill High School is representing Midlands, while Victoria High School is representing Masvingo.
In the girls’ section, Mashonaland East is being represented by Goromonzi High School, while Matebeleland South have Plumtree High as their representatives.
Harare Girls’ High School is representing Harare Metropolitan, while Entumbane High School is representing Bulawayo Metropolitan.
Chipindura High School is representing Mashonaland Central Province, while Chaplin High School is representing Midlands Province.
Mutare Boys’ High headmaster, Padhuze Phillip, who is also the national head in charge of rugby, was elated with the return of fully-fledged rugby competition for the first time since the end of Covid-19 lengthy layoff.
“The annual competition was disturbed due to Covid-19, so last year was the first post Covid-19 come back. Only a few schools participated in the NASH tournament held in Harare. This makes this year’s contest the first to involve all the provinces, and promises to be an exciting event,” said Padhuze.
Padhuze’s own school is poised to make a huge impact during the competition, given its star-studded line-up led by team captain and school head boy, Shaun Marumani.
The team also boasts of the exceptionally gifted Leon Machodo.
Padhuze is stirring the game of rugby in schools in an attempt to bring back the good old days of fiery competitions among rugby playing schools across the country.
“I am happy to be presiding over the resuscitation of rugby in high schools in Zimbabwe. A number of schools have embraced rugby around the country. Our aim is to make rugby the most favoured sport in schools. We intend to partner the corporate world so that they support schools’ rugby at grassroots, that is, from primary level to secondary level. The national team can be strengthened by having a wider pool of player selection,” said Padhuze.
