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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) will stage the Unforgettable Summer Series Round 5 competition at Gweru Sports Club on Saturday.

Nine teams will battle it out in the competition, which will see up-and-coming sevens’ players competing on a bigger stage.

Mavula Boys, Bulldogs, Highlanders, Platinum Warriors, Gold Warriors, Old Miltonians, Barbarians, Masvingo and Gweru Sports Club are teams taking part in the competition.

ZRU vice-chairman Martin Shone said preparations for the event were progressing well.

“We are placing final touches on our preparations. We are excited because this competition will see Masvingo also taking part. These guys have not played rugby in a long time and it’s really good to have them back playing,” said Shone.

He said they have invited Cheetahs’ player Nelson Madida to attend the event.

“He will be in a position to pick some players that will attend a training camp probably at the beginning of next year,” said Shone.

Meanwhile, the ZRU is set to launch an academy in Gweru in a bid to revive the game in the Midlands province.

The academy is part of the union’s nationwide drive to revive rugby at grassroots level with the hope of creating reliable feeders for national teams.

The ZRU board finalised its agreements with Sheasham Football Club, who renovated the Gweru Sports Club.

The facility is the only one that houses rugby in the city, meaning it will be shared between the academy and Sheasham, who are using it as their home ground in the Zifa Central Region Division One League.— @innocentskizoe