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NewsDay

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Ex-Springboks coach De Villiers in Zimbabwe

Sport
FORMER Springboks head coach Peter de Villiers arrived in the country yesterday to conduct a rugby coaching clinic at Watershed College in Marondera.

FORMER Springboks head coach Peter de Villiers arrived in the country yesterday to conduct a rugby coaching clinic at Watershed College in Marondera.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO SPORTS REPORTER

The coaching clinic, which runs until Saturday, will cater for young players between the ages of 15 and 23 years has been dubbed the Dairibord Kyros Rugby Academy Week.

It is being organised by the UK-based Kyros Rugby company, run by former Zimbabwe youth international Kisset Chirengende in partnership with Dairibord Zimbabwe. De Villiers expressed his delight to be in Zimbabwe and said although he did not know much about local rugby except for the national sevens rugby team, he was looking forward to sharing his knowledge with young players.

“I’m very excited to be here and I’m definitely looking forward to share some of my experiences with the young players this week,” De Villiers, who coached the Springboks between 2008 and 2011, said.

“I don’t know much about Zimbabwe rugby except the Zimbabwe sevens team and a few of their players who work with me at the University of Western Cape like Njabulo Ndlovu.

“I have actually learnt a lot about the country from him.”

Former New Zealand All Blacks player and coach John Mitchell and Springbok hooker Chiliboy Ralepelle, who arrived in the country on Sunday, will also take part in the coaching clinic.

A rugby dinner was held for the duo in the capital on Sunday night where Mitchell gave a motivational speech to the players before holding a coaches’ clinic at Prince Edward School on Monday.

Chirengende, the owner and founder of Kyros Sports Rugby, said the main aim for the clinic was to develop local talent.

“The main reason I thought of such an initiative is development, improve the basic skills of our rugby players and give them the confidence so that they can achieve a professional rugby career because not many of us have a chance to get into contact with such coaches,” Chirengende said.