EAGLES SNATCH MOPANI RUGBY 7S TITLE Eagles 24 - Mufulira 12

BY BENEDICT TEMBO

Eagles came out of a tough Pool ‘C’ comprising Green Buffaloes, Kitwe Playing Fields (KPF) and Kansanshi.

They started the tournament strong, outclassing fellow military side Buffaloes  26-14, then trounced KPF 38-0 and concluded the group stage with a 12-5 loss to Kansanshi.

Eagles did a double over Buffaloes by beating them yet again 19-12 in the semi-finals.

Against Mufulira in the final, Eagles came out 24-12 on top to deservedly lay their hands on the coveted trophy named after late Diggers and Zambia Rugby Union (ZRU) president and legend, Bonnie Mutale.

With a predominantly young squad, only three out of 12 players being above 25 years, Eagles embarked on a journey that not many people thought possible.

Deploying a combination of pull and push, the “Kawale Boys” defied all odds and came out with their heads high.

International 7s player Kelvin Sichula, upcoming Jack Mushanga and Richard Mumba alongside international 15s players Elijah Mumba, Samson Chikwakwa amongst others put in a good shift from start to finish.

“Overall, I am super proud of the team for the hard work being put in the background which came to the fore on Saturday in Kitwe. We keep on believing,” Eagles coach Tom Chaloba said.

Eagles’ 19-year-old Jack Mushanga was awarded the Man of the Tournament trophy while former Eagles’ Ladies’ Player Alice Phiri won the Woman of the Tournament for Arrows.