BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – Derek Chiwara, coach of Zimbabwean schoolboy rugby giants Falcon College, is treasuring the challenge of coming up against high-flying Prince Edward gaffer Shaun De Souza in a titanic battle this Saturday afternoon.
The Maddogs host fellow powerhouse Prince Edward at Esigodini, kick-off 1530 on the revered Main Field.
Both with a proud sporting heritage, it is always fireworks when the two teams meet, more so when the Tigers travel all the way from the capital city down to the Matabeleland bush.
Form seldom counts in this tie, without doubt one of the most anticipated fixtures in Zimbabwean sport at any level.
Harare’s Prince Edward are coached by an eminent alumna of the school, De Souza, who is also the head coach of the country’s high-riding Under-20 team that has won back-to-back Africa Cup titles in 2022 and 2023.
“I cherish these moments when I get to clash with top coaches like Shaun,” Chiwara told SportsCast on Friday ahead of the traditional season-opener.
“We are ready to engage Prince Edward in what promises to be an exciting day of rugby.”
Himself a gifted and highly-regarded coach, Chiwara is aware of the threat posed by the men from the capital, after taking a good look at the Tigers during last week’s big festival at St John’s College in Harare.
“Having watched Prince Edward at the Derby Day (at St John’s), we know we are expecting a polished performance from the Tigers,” commented Chiwara.
“We have worked hard this week and put in lots of time on our set-pieces. I want to believe the team that sails through on Saturday will have done well on game management and execution of their plays.”
As players, the two coaches also crossed paths, both at school and club level in Harare. First, Chiwara at Lord Malvern School, and De Souza at Prince Edward. They then played against each other when Chiwara turned out for Harare Sports Club, and De Souza for city rivals Old Hararians.
TEAMS
Falcon starting XV: 1. A Mawere 2. M Mpande 3. T Runyowa 4. 0 Nweke 5. S Brebner 6. T Burton 7. D Clegg 8. DS McKenzie 9. LR Batchelor 10. K Moyo 11. Z Sibanda 12. T Chisungo 13. H Machaka 14. V Ncube 15. J Thompson.
Prince Edward starting XV: 1. K Kachambwa 2. S Mudimu 3. A Mabuto 4. T Chifamba 5. V Kasvosve 6. T Mutuma 7. T Mpagare 8. A Mawunga 9. W Kunaka 10. T Rusike 11. K Vhudzijena 12. T Unganai 13. T Chirisa 14. Ethan Chitendeni 15. Earl Chitendeni.
