.ZRU president Martin Musunka

By MOSES CHIMFWEMBE –

THE Zambia Rugby Union (ZRU) says it will put in place mechanisms to enhance the better performance of national 15s and 7s teams following a poor showing on the international stage this year.

ZRU president Martin Musunka said in an interview that the performance of national teams in international tournament has not been inspiring this year and that the union was determined to ensure that Zambia excelled on the international platform.

Among some of Zambia’s poor international performances were the early exit from the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) under-19 African Championships held in August in Tunis, Tunisia and the Mombasa Sevens staged in Kenya.

But the ZRU chief said rugby in the country had ‘tremendously’ improved in 2013 and that the ZRU executive committee was looking forward to reach greater heights.

He said the competitiveness of the national league was a pre-requisite to assembling strong and high quality national teams.

Musunka said the fact that the league had been competitive in 2013 was a clear indication that the 2014 season would be entertaining.

He implored clubs to step up their efforts next year and ensure that gains attained this year were sustained.

“Turning Zambia into a powerhouse of rugby on the African continent is one of our targets for 2014 and as the executive committee we will step up our efforts towards our national teams’ performance in international tournaments,” he said.