Some of them said they had played rugby for about three years and found it more interesting than some of the games traditionally associated with women.
“I just wanted to try something new and really enjoyed it. I hope I can continue,” said Ordinary Level student, Tiffany Saweka.
The girls’ team participated at the Cottco Rugby Festival at Prince Edward at the beginning of this month, as part of the tournament’s plans to promote the game in areas that are not traditionally associated with it.
“Most people associate rugby with former Group A schools, but we play against these teams in our league, where we have even beaten some of them,” said another pupil, Kudakwashe Mawopa. The girls said playing rugby did not in any way affect the way people looked at them, adding that they were still happy to show-off their feminine side.
“We are obviously not as physically strong as the boys’ teams, but we can still hold our own against other girls,” weighed-in Natasha Chabata.
Organisers of the Cottco Rugby Festival said the inclusion of girls’ teams was meant to help develop the game at grassroots level and across the gender divide.
Other female teams that participated at the tournament were Roosevelt Girls, Morgan Girls, Goromonzi, Mbare, Mt Pleasant, Lord Malvern, Hatfield Girls, Sobukhazi, Tafara High 1, Eaglesvale, Zengeza High 1 and Girls High School.
The George Stark students vowed to continue playing the game even after they have finished school. The Zimbabwe women’s rugby team, popularly known as the Pangolins, was put together in 2007 and these girls believed that they would one day make it into the national side.
Post published in: Rugby
He has also developed a knack for scoring goals – his club is currently one of their top goal scorers with 10 goals. He was Swallows’ third top goal scorer last season with six goals, which all came from set-pieces.