World Under-20 Rugby Trophy: Zimbabwe keen to build on Barthes Cup momentum

Zimbabwe captain Panashe Zuze says the team is well prepared to cause an upset against the favorites when the World Under-20 Rugby Trophy kicks off on Saturday.

Zimbabwe play against Scotland in the opening match of the tournament at 10 am at the Nyayo National Stadium and Zuze says they are keen to start the tournament on a high.

“We have prepared well knowing the level of competition we are going to expect because this tournament has very strong teams with quality player whom if we are not at our best we can easily be disappointed,” said Zuze.

Zimbabwe are in pool A alongside USA, Uruguay and Scotland, a pool the captain admits won’t be easy to sail through because of the strength of the team but says they have enough quality to qualify to the next round.

“We have never stopped training since the Barthes cup victory we had to keep on with the momentum so that we can arrive in the world cup at our best,” added Zuze.

Zimbabwe beat Kenya in the Barthes Cup final 28-7 in April and the speedster Zuze says they are keen to build on that momentum having added some more quality players who missed the tournament.

“We are a much stronger side because the players who missed Barthes cup because of school have rejoined the team that makes us even better and we are hoping for the best,” the captain told Citizen Digital.

Winners will gain promotion to the World Rugby U20 Championship in 2024.