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Mehluli Sibanda in Harare
THE curtain comes down on this year’s edition of the Dairibord Schools Rugby Festival at Prince Edward High School with some exciting fixtures lined up on the Jubilee Field. Considered the biggest schools rugby gathering in the entire world because of the number of teams involved, the Dairibord Schools Rugby Festival started on Monday and has seen matches played throughout the week on five venues at PE and one ground at neighbouring Allan Wilson. A total of 186 schools entered this year’s festival.

Today, on the Jubilee Field, the ground which attracts the biggest crowds, only what is deemed to be the cream of Zimbabwean schoolboy rugby goes on display.

First up is a contest between Allan Wilson who clash with Ellis Robins. The high level match in the morning to look forward to is the contest between Falcon College and Peterhouse.

It should be an exciting match since the Falcon College Mad Dogs have been in rampant form at the festival with a 21-7 triumph over Churchill on Tuesday which they followed up with a 74-0 drubbing of Watershed College on Thursday.

Peterhouse have not lost a match at the tournament though they have only appeared once, with their much anticipated clash with PE called off after one of the parents of the players was involved in a road accident while on their way to the festival. The Marondera based Peterhouse Kings hammered Midlands Christian College 40-0 on Thursday, an indication that Falcon College will certainly not have it easy against their familiar foes.

Churchill, yet to record a win so far at this year’s schools rugby fiesta go up against St George’s College who were beaten 17-10 by St John’s College on Thursday.

The PE Tigers and the St John’s College Rams conclude the festival in what should be a closely fought fight between the two Harare schools. Both are yet to taste defeat at this tournament, with PE recording a victory over their own second team on Tuesday before they beat Churchill 24-7 on Thursday. St John’s College defeated Eaglesvale on Tuesday prior to despatching the St George’s College Dragons on Thursday.

Last year, PE were 21-6 victorious over 2013 Zimbabwe schools rugby champions Peterhouse in the last match of the festival.

In what should be an indicator on how the match between Tigers and the Rams will go, the PE seconds beat their St John’s College counterparts 44-15 in the last fixture played on the Jubilee Field yesterday.

Bulawayo school Gifford, with two wins from the same number of matches played will look to end the festival unbeaten when they meet Mazowe on the Avenues Field while former schools rugby powerhouse Milton, with one loss and a draw so far take on Mutare on the same ground.

Meanwhile, sponsors of the schools rugby carnival Dairibord Zimbabwe Private Limited yesterday expressed satisfaction with how the tournament has been put together by the organising committee as well as the standard of rugby displayed by the youngsters.

Final day fixture on the Jubilee Field:

08:00 – Allan Wilson v Ellis Robins
09:10- Livingstone Kolobeng College v Plumtree
10:20 – Hillcrest v Watershed
11:30 – Falcon College v Peterhouse
12:40 – Kyle College v Lomagundi
13:50 – Midlands Christian College v Eaglesvale
15:00- Churchill v Saint George’s College
16: 10 – Price Edward v Saint John’s College