Mosi Sevens set for kick-off
By Sports Reporter
INTERNATIONAL Mosi Sevens rugby organising committee chairman, Joseph Kambikambi has said all is set for the weekend’s two-day event at the Lusaka rugby club.
Two of the referees to handle the games arrived from South Africa yesterday while the other two from Namibia were expected in last night.
Kambikambi said the Western Province team from South Africa confirmed they had started off yesterday and are expected in the country around 10:00 hours today.
The rest of the foreign teams are also expected today.
Kambikambia said Zambian champions, Diggers would not be present at the tournament because the bulk of their players make up both the Zambia A and the Lechwe team which will be participating in the Mosi Sevens.
Because of this development, Green Buffaloes and Red Arrows who would have entered as a Defence Force team, will instead enter the competition as separate teams.
Meanwhile, national rugby team coach Musa Zimba has said he is confident of positive results in the Mosi International rugby tournament.
Commenting on the tournament fixture in which the national team has been seeded second in group A, together with Golden Lions, South African Airways (SAA) and Buffaloes, Zimba said the group was tough, but he was confident his side would pull through.
“This group is very interesting, but if we play an expansive and pacy game we will be able to upset tables,” Zimba said.
Zimba said the essence of the Sevens tournament was speed and expressed satisfaction with the crop of players in camp whom he said were responding well to training.
The coach said four players - Alex Mwila, Ceasar Mutesha, Nickson Silombo and Maybin Mwape - had joined the team in residential camp.
He said Copperbelt-based players comprising Happy Chipili, Armitage Nyondo, Ronnel Armegol, Chancy Mulama, Lawrence Njovu, Lazarous Ngoma, Grant Mwila and Partrick Chanda were being awaited by last evening because they had to get permission from their employers.
Zimba, who is being assisted by Obby Koloko, Nigel Mukuyungwa and Owen Busange, said he would announce the final teams for both the Zambia A and Lechwe team this afternoon.
And Busange said he was confident of a good performance by the two Zambian sides because of the small stature of the local players which he said was best suited for the Sevens rugby which demands quick play.
The assistant coach said the team would try to out-run their opponents and try by all means to avoid a contact game against their physically superior opponents.
“ All we need are two or three huge players to help out on the scrum or the rucks,” Busange said.
