Mtawarira saga a sad affair

on the part of some South African rugby administrators to sidestep the law for the benefit of a country eager to cement its status as a world powerhouse in the gruelling sport. But to those who have been following Zimbabwean sport in general and rugby in particular over the past decade or so, the case of the gifted player brings to the fore the sad scenario of how the Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) has failed to harness one of the most credible rugby breeding grounds one is ever likely to come across. Mtawarira affectionately referred to as Beast by the Natal Sharks faithful whenever he is in possession of the ball or makes a tackle is not the first Zimbabwean-born rugby player to turn out for the Springboks and he is unlikely to be the last.

The great trek

Tonderai Chavhanga and Brian Mujati are other notable examples of players who have trekked across the Limpopo in order to reap maximum benefits from their God-given talent.

Others still like Takudzwa Ngwenya who is now based in the United States of America have looked beyond the borders of the continent while the ZRU continues to fight a losing battle of trying to stem the flow of raw talent escaping their grasp. There is no doubting the credibility of the Zimbabwean schoolboy rugby system. Through a well organized annual schools festival which brings together schools from all the countrys provinces raw talent continues to be thrust into the limelight.

That the festival has in the past attracted the attention of schools from South Africa, Namibia and Zambia coupled by the fact that it continues to provide more entertainment value than clashes involving the top clubs in the country bears testimony to the tremendous efforts being made by both the sponsors and the organizers.

Relocation, relocation

Mtawarira, Chavhanga, Mujati and others are all products of this festival. Unfortunately, they are also part of a generation of young people who have been forced, by an economy that can no longer fully appreciate their skills, to relocate elsewhere. If these youngsters were born during the time of former Liverpool and Zimbabwe goalkeeper Bruce Grobelaar for example they might have had more options. Grobelaar, who became the first African to win a Champions League (then called the European Cup) medal in 1984 with Liverpool, had the luxury of actually turning down a baseball scholarship he had been offered by a college in the United States Of America during his youth, insisting he was more eager to pursue a career in football. There are limited opportunities for athletes in Zimbabwe these days and International Rugby Board (IRB) rules which allow a player to qualify for consideration by South Africa if he has stayed in the country for three years make the trek to the country quite alluring.

The abilities of players like Mtawarira who represented Zimbabwe at Under 19 level are not difficult to see for South African clubs, who have been quick to snap up young players who have the potential of doing well in the highly demanding Super 14 league. The deterioration of local rugby, however, has more to do with the circumstances surrounding the sponsorship of the sport, or lack of it, rather than the poaching abilities of South African rugby clubs.

Sanctions take their toll

Regular sponsors of both the national rugby team, the Sables, and the topflight league, could no longer afford to do so around 2004 as the effects of sanctions brought about by Robert Mugabes controversial policies began to take a serious toll. The situation was not aided by the governments preference to allocate most of its financial resources, meant for sport, to the national football association. Or the numerous squabbles within the ZRU leadership that had more to do with power than anything else.

The disillusionment of young players soon followed and the effects of their exodus to foreign lands are still being felt today. Gone are the days when the green and white stripped Sables were a regular feature at the IRB World Cup. The current side is a mockery of the Sables of old, who, during the days when the likes of Basil Foster-Jones and others were at the helm of ZRU, could beat countries like Italy and Romania on their regular visits to Harare or Bulawayo.