“The problem is there is so much pride pretending that we are a Union that has everything under control when we could use some technical assistance from SARU. Kenya is doing well because they receive support from other nations. ZRU needs to employ a general manager who knows how to source and raise money to run rugby and make the sport attractive for players at senior level. We can’t always bank on the government, it does not have money to fund the elections what of rugby,” he said.
“We are not losing players to other countries; they are simply not making themselves available.”
The Young Sables had an impressive run in the 2013 Coca-Cola Craven Week in Polokwane, South Africa recently. They shocked rugby followers by beating the Griqualand 35-17 and humiliated Limpopo Blue Bulls 40-3 in front of their home-crowd.
The schoolboys were applauded by the South Africa Rugby Union CEO Jourie Roux and the Convener of national selectors Peter Jooste while the senior side, the Sables, suffered an emotional defeat at the hands of Kenya in Madagascar recently.
Murambiwa reckons his charges’ success in South Africa last week was due to “great talent in solid defence pattern and good team dynamic.” He insists the root of Zimbabwe’s failure at senior level is not in the field of play.
“The generation of coaches we have not really learnt anything from their predecessors; they were unfortunate not to learn anything from us because we gave up on the Union. I was one of the coaches who learnt a lot from the white coaches who were there before us,” he said.
“These young players need to be coached to play for Zim and not to make their schools famous.”
Post published in: Sport