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Ronald Mashinga, Sports Reporter

MICHAEL Zvakavapano won two awards at the 2019 Zimbabwe Rugby Referees’ Society (ZRRS) Awards Night held at Old Hararians at the weekend.

The awards were also attended by the Zimbabwe Rugby Union and Matabeleland Rugby Football Board. 

Zvakavapano won the top exam scorer for his outstanding performance at the two-day Level Two officiating course in October. The course was aimed at developing the standards of rugby refereeing in the country.

He also won the top athlete of the year for determination and hard work on the pitch for his performances and achievements at both national and international level.

Zvakavapano officiated in the Safari Sevens in Nairobi, Kenya, in October and was also part of a team of five assistant referees for the final of that tournament between South Africa and Kenya Morans.

He also officiated in the fourth edition of the Zambia International Sevens Rugby Tournament in Zambia featuring 12 teams.

Zvakavapano, however, lost out in the referee of the year category to Precious Pazani, who is the first female Zimbabwean referee to officiate in a World Rugby women’s Test match between South Africa and Spain in Port Elizabeth, South Africa in September.

Pazani was also among the referees in the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Olympic qualifiers in Tunisia in October.