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Ricky Zililo, Sports Reporter
TWENTY-THREE teams will compete at the Southern Region Sevens Rugby Series to be held simultaneously at three venues this weekend.

Bulawayo’s ceremonial home of rugby Hartsfield Grounds will be home to 15 teams, with Gweru Sports Club and Victoria Falls each playing hosts to four sides.

The teams will compete in three categories, senior men, Under-21 and women.

Thulani Tabulawa, the Bulawayo Metropolitan Rugby Football Board (BMRFB) chairman said lack of sponsorship forced them to have the first round of the series to be held over four weekends played at three different venues.

“We have had to break our Southern Region to three as we await sponsorship. Bulawayo will play their own games and so are Matabeleland North and the Midlands provinces. We are looking forward to some exciting rugby and we’re working round the clock to try and get a sponsor so that we have all these areas playing at one venue. It becomes easy for the national coach to have a look at the players at one venue. Remember the series is part of the preparations for the Kwese Sevens which will be held in March,” Tabulawa said.

Highlanders are fielding four teams; two in the senior men’s category, an Under-21 side and a women’s team. Matabeleland Warriors has three teams: one in each category while Bulldogs and Old Miltonians have each registered a senior team and an Under-21 side.

Nust, LSU and Pure Platinum complete the list of teams competing in the senior men’s category in Bulawayo. Women’s teams which will compete at Hartsfield today are Highlanders, Nyambose and Warriors.

In Victoria Falls, the senior men’s category has Zambezi Diggers and Victoria Falls Trojans. Diggers Ladies will have a go against Trojan Under-21s.

There will be no Under-21s and women’s competition in Gweru where Airforce, Gweru Sports Club, MSU and Kwekwe will be in action.

The Sevens Series is being used to select provincial squads for the Inter-City Sevens tournament to be played on March 10. The Inter-City competition will be followed by a Goshawks and Cheetahs camp the following weekend.

Fixtures

Today:

Gweru: MSU v Gweru Sports Club (2PM), Air Force v Kwekwe (2:20PM), MSU v Air Force (2:45PM), Gweru Sports Club v Kwekwe (3:05PM), MSU v Kwekwe (3:25PM), Gweru Sports Club v Airforce (3:45PM)

Matabeleland North: Zambezi Diggers v Victoria Falls Trojans (3PM), Zambezi Diggers v Trojans (3:20PM), Trojans U21 v Diggers Ladies (friendly), Trojans U21 v Zambezi Diggers (4PM)

Bulawayo: Pure Platinum v Old Miltonians (1PM), Highlanders v Bulldogs (1:15PM), Warriors U21 v Old Miltonians U21 (1:30PM), NUST v LSU (1:45PM), Warriors v Bosso (2PM), Highlanders U21 v Bulldogs U21 (2:15PM), Warriors Ladies v Highlanders (2:30PM), Pure Platinum v Highlanders (2:45PM), Old Miltonians v Bulldogs (3PM), Warriors U21 v Highlanders U21 (3:15PM), NUST v Warriors (3:30PM), LSU v Bosso (3:45PM), Old Miltonians U21 v Bulldogs U21 (4PM), Nyambose Ladies  v Highlanders Ladies (4:15PM), Pure Platinum v Bulldogs (4:30PM), Old Miltonians v Highlanders (4:45PM), Warriors U21 v Bulldogs U21 (5PM), Nust v Bosso (5:15PM), LSU v Warriors (5:30PM), Old Miltonians U21 v Highlanders U21 (5:45PM), Nyambose Ladies v Highlanders (6PM), Pure Platinum v Nust , Old Miltonians v LSU, Highlanders v Warriors, Bulldogs v Bosso
— @ZililoR