Zebras show their stripes at Sevens tourney

Debutants Western Zebras RFC, from Langa, produced a much improved performance in the second round of the Western Province Rugby Football Union (WPRFU) Sevens Series in Goodwood, at the weekend.

Though not really convincing in their approach, Saturday’s one win and two losses record, and the performance that accompanied it, was far better than what they could produce in the first round of matches, two weeks ago, when one of their defeats included a 56-0 loss against Pool B leaders Stellenbosch. They kicked off Saturday’s action with 20-0 loss against Kraaifontein.

That was followed by a 7-5 loss against Blakes.

It was by then clear that it was only a matter of time before the Langa outfit got that elusive victory.

And, it did come in their last game of the day, when they scored three tries to Thistles’ one, to record a 19-7 victory.

Misi was confident his side will be even better in this weekend’s third round of matches.

“We didn’t know what to expect during the first two rounds of the competition, but now that we have played six matches against strong teams, I am sure the players will surprise a few teams. The good thing about us is that we are a relatively unknown team, which is something we should use to our advantage,” said Misi.

He also noted that the experience gained in the competition will be valuable in the long run too. This, he said, was because his young team needed all the experience it could get as they try to make the name for themselves.

“We’ve been part of WP rugby for only two years, which means this is still a building phase for us and competitions like this can only help us become better at what we do. That’s why I say our next opponents should watch out come Saturday, they will meet a motivated Zebras team,” he said.

The side is currently at the bottom of the Pool B log with six points from six matches. Coach Bulelani Misi noted that the experience gained in this competition will help his side in their building process. He can be forgiven because his side is fairly new when it comes organised rugby. Despite having been established as far back as 1971, the club only got affiliated to WPRFU, where they play in the City League, last season.