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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union’s plans to start a selection process for the 2022 edition of the Craven Week Under-18 Rugby Festival to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, could suffer a blow after the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education barred extracurricular activities in schools.

ZRU had hoped schools will resume sporting activities following the successful hosting of a tournament by St John’s College in Harare at the weekend after two years of inactivity.

Primary and Secondary Education Minister Dr Evelyn Ndlovu told our sister publication Sunday News that although they were still waiting for the go ahead from the Ad-hoc Inter-Ministerial Taskforce Committee on Covid-19, the environment was still sensitive for extracurricular activities to be re-introduced.

Dr Ndlovu said her ministry had not been given the all-clear for sports and other extracurricular activities to resume in schools, adding that the environment was still sensitive considering that it was almost winter season and Covid-19 infection patterns remained unpredictable.

Schools’ rugby, according to ZRU president, Aaron Jani, is the incubator for national teams.

He said they are engaging relevant authorities to lobby for juniors’ rugby with the hope of sending a team to the Craven Week in Rondebosch in the Western Cape province from July 3-9.

“We had been excited by the prospect for return of schools’ rugby, which was inactive for two years.

I was privileged to be at the St John’s tournament and it was exciting to see that we are slowly getting back the motor skills that the lads had lost in the last two years of not playing rugby.

As ZRU, we were looking forward to schools’ rugby to provide the squad for the Craven Week, but now all that is uncertain following the latest statement that schools’ sports remain barred,” said Jani.

“It’s a pity that we find ourselves in such a space but we’re engaging relevant authorities as we lobby for the return of schools’ sport.”

In matches played on Friday, St George’s dominated their games against Christian Brothers College (CBC), with their Under-15 side winning 27-0 while the Under-16s were 48-13 victors.

Milton High School’s first team lost 12-29 to Allan Wilson while their Under-15s and 14s suffered 0-37 and 0-20 defeats.

Falcon College’s Under-14 B side lost 5-10 to Prince Edward, with their Under-15 B team winning 32-19 and the Under-16s edging the Harare school 8-7.

Falcon’s Under-14 A team beat Prince Edward 53-0 before the Esigodini side lost the Under-15 A battle 0-25.

Prince Edward’s Under-16 A team beat Falcon 56-10.

Jani said ZRU had nothing to do with last week’s games, saying schools had independently decided to arrange and play at the tournament.

The National Association of Primary Heads (Naph) and National Association of Secondary Heads (Nash) have had several requests to resume sporting activities turned down.

– @ZililoR.