OLD Hararians captain Tichafara Makwanya says they have a lot of respect for their arch-rivals Old Georgians, but backed his charges to end their eight-year barren spell in the Lion Lager National Rugby League final on Saturday.
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Makwanya, who has been impressive all season for the Old Boys, said the current crop of players were motivated by the desire to scale the same heights reached by past Old Hararians players when the club were once a dominant force in local rugby.
Old Hararians will head into Saturday’s final on their home turf, seeking their first title since 2005 while Old Georgians last won the coveted title in 2011.
“We will give Old Georgians the respect because we appreciate the fact that they are a good team, but we have confidence in our ability and all the players are motivated and will be going out for a win because this is a final.
“We know that it’s been a while since Old Hararians have won the league and every single play in the current side wants to emulate what the past teams achieved,” said Makwanya.
“I cannot say which area of their game is the weakest link, but we have a game plan that we have set for ourselves and I believe we have the quality of players in all departments to back ourselves.”
The two teams head into the final on the back of an impressive display during the round robin phase in which they lost only lost one game each enroute to the final on their way to finishing first and second respectively.
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At the weekend, Old Georgians booked their place into the final with a 33-22 victory over defending champions Harare Sports Club in the semifinals while OH qualified for the final with a 47-15 win over Matabeleland Warriors.
Meanwhile the Zimbabwe senior rugby team, the Sables will play Kenya and Namibia in a Tri-Nations series in Windhoek, Namibia in November this year.
This series kicks off on November 8, running through to November 16. Namibia will play Zimbabwe in the opening fixture on November 8, while Kenya will face Zimbabwe on November 12 before winding up with a match against Namibia on Saturday November 16.
The tournament will be the Sables’ first assignment since the Confederation of African Rugby Division 1A Championships in Madagascar in July where they lost 29-17 in the final to Kenya.
This tourney is sure to serve as a build up for each of these three sides ahead of the 2014 CAR Division 1A Championships slated for April next year in Kenya where qualification for the 2015 Rugby World Cup will be at stake.
