Zimbabwe Sends Strong Message with 55-0 Win in Barthes Trophy Opener

Zimbabwe’s Under-20 rugby team, the Junior Sables, delivered an emphatic victory in the opening match of the Under-20 Barthes Trophy against Cote d’Ivoire, thrashing them 55-0 at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium on Saturday.

The defending champions showed their dominance early on, taking a 31-0 lead at halftime with converted tries from Muzuva Gutu, Gealan Jaricha, and Alex Nyamunda.

Despite a brief improvement from Cote d’Ivoire in the second half, Zimbabwe continued to dominate and added two more tries after one of Cote d’Ivoire’s players was sent to the sin-bin.

The Under-20 Barthes Trophy, which is the leading junior rugby tournament in Africa, serves as a qualifying event for the World U-20 Rugby Trophy. The eight-nation tournament determines the African champions, who will earn a spot in the World U-20 Trophy scheduled for July this year at Nyayo Stadium.

Kenya’s Under-20 rugby team, famously known as Chipu and the 2019 and 2021 African champions, will begin their campaign against Uganda at 4.30 pm. Zimbabwe’s Junior Sables have sent a clear message to their opponents with their dominating performance and will look to continue their winning ways in the competition.