BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
HE is now being touted as one of Zimbabwe’s brightest rugby prospects after a breakout debut season for the Sables last season before securing a breakthrough move to South Africa, but Tinotenda Blithe Mavesere’s rugby journey has not been a walk in the park.
The 189cm, 95kg dynamic loose forward, who has been enjoying a superb debut season in the Varsity Cup with the University of Western Cape (UWC), was an integral part of the Sables side, which clinched the Victoria Cup following some superb performances last season.
Earlier in the season, Mavesere had been one of the few bright sparks in the Zimbabwe Academy side, which made a good impression in their maiden season in the SuperSport Challenge, establishing himself as a hardworking open side flank of enormous potential.
But before his rapid rise both locally and in South Africa, 22-year-old Mavesere’s dream of pursuing a rugby career was almost over before it had even started.
After being introduced to the sport in Grade 3 at Eiffel Flats Primary School, Mavesere went on to lose three years of rugby when he transferred to Sir John Kennedy Primary School because the Kadoma-based school didn’t offer the sport.
He rekindled his love for the sport following a move to Churchill High School, but after breaking into the school first team in his last year of high school, Mavesere suffered a multiple fracture in his tibia in a pre-season game, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
It was a bitter blow for the former Harare Sports Club flank, who had been earmarked to captain the Churchill Bulldogs side that season but instead of giving up on his passion altogether, he used the setback as a learning experience.
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“This was very a painful experience for me, not only because I was looking forward to my first season with the first team, but also because I had been chosen to captain the Bulldogs that year. It was heartbreaking but the whole experience kept me strong and only increased my hunger to do well in my rugby career,” Mavesere tells The Sports Hub in an interview.
Mavesere would overcome the career threatening injury to play an important role for the Churchill High School-based Pitbulls RFC side, which has been a dominant force in the Harare Province U21 Championship and the Exide Senior 7s Championship.
He credits the knowledge and experience he gained with Pitbulls for shaping his career.
“Pitbulls played an important role in my development. In my last year of school, before I got injured, I played for Pitbulls and my rugby changed phenomenally.
I won a number of awards including the Most Valuable Player at the club. I kept getting better and better at the club. The coaches knew me and understood me very well, since we were together from Form 1. It was easy for them to tell me what to do and how to do it. So it was a blessing to have good coaches and a good management like that. At Pitbulls, it was easy for me to accomplish goals, to seek for guidance, for help. It really shaped me into a good player,” he said.
After a string of solid performances for Pitbulls, Mavesere’s efforts were recognised after earning selection into Zimbabwe Under-20 side for the Rugby Africa Under-20 Barthes Trophy tournament in 2017 and 2018.
While Zimbabwe did not fare well in both tournaments, Mavesere continued his steady rise by joining club rugby giants Harare Sports Club, winning the man of the match award in his first team debut against rivals Old Hararians.
“Harare Sports Club really shaped my confidence and gave me mental strength to believe that I could do anything. I was amongst great players, great names and that was the best experience I could ever get,” he said.
He added: “I remember about three-quarters of the team made the national team, Sables, so imagine being among them and being the youngster in the team. They were always telling you what to do and when to do it, so as a player, I would listen to them and just absorb everything; for example, as a flank I had Lucky Kunene, you know him; and he really taught me a lot. I had Muhambi as 8th man. I had a lot of players; even the back liners taught me a lot.”
The pinnacle of Masevere’s career thus far came when he was drafted into the Zimbabwe Academy side for their maiden appearance in the SuperSport Challenge in South Africa, which was quickly followed by his Test debut in the Victoria Cup winning squad of 2019.
Mavesere made tremendous progress during the Zimbabwe Academy’s high performance training camp in Cape Town, where the team was based for the duration of their SuperSport Challenge campaign.
He featured regularly for the development team, which fared well despite a winless debut season against strong South African sides that earned him a maiden Sables Cup in the preceding four-nation Victoria Cup.
“I really thank God that I never really had a major injury from junior to senior rugby. I was always on a rise and constant. Last year, playing for Sables was really an achievement and a goal come true. It’s something I had planned, had prayed about and had been working towards. I made it and I really thank God. I really thank my team mates from Pitbulls and from Harare Sports Club, who really helped me,” he said.
Mavesere believes being part of the Zimbabwe Academy and Sables setups gave him a glimpse of what it means to be a professional rugby player.
“When I was part of the Sables, I was now getting a glimpse of how professional life is; how the level of rugby at that stage is; the intensity, the mindset you have to have, the preparation that goes in it. I was getting to know better how to manage my body, the diet, what to eat, those key aspects of an athlete’s life. That was really a big step. As a person who knew what I wanted from the first day, now I could work towards that goal. I’m still working towards that goal,” he said.
After a dream debut season for the Sables, Mavesere was offered me a bursary to study and play rugby at the University of Western Cape by the late World Cup-winning South Africa wing Chester Williams, who was director of sport at the university.
However the deal which was facilitated by former Springboks wing and now Sables assistant coach Tonderai Chavhanga almost fell through when Williams passed way suddenly from a heart attack in Cape Town last September.
“After we won the Victoria Cup, our assistant coach Tonderai Chavhanga approached Chester Williams who offered me a bursary to study at the University of Western Cape. Unfortunately, shortly after that Williams died and the process was disturbed. I then spoke to a friend and a brother, Njabulo Ndlovu who was a senior player for the Sables. He had attended UWC, so he said he would help me. I then sent my CV and video clips to the sports administration at UWC and they liked it, so I got the bursary,” he said.
Mavesere has wasted no time in settling at UWC, starting in all their three matches so far this season and putting in some solid performances for the Cape Town-based school.
“Playing Varsity Cup is a dream come true. I can’t say I had this on my goals I didn’t, but it’s something I would day dream about it just came out of nowhere, but it’s something I really appreciate,” he said.
“I will cherish it forever, because not many Zimbabweans have played Varsity Cup. It’s a different challenge, a different level. The intensity is very high; more like semi-professional rugby so I’m really enjoying it. The intensity is higher, so my discipline has to rise. I have to watch what I eat and improve physically all the time in preparation. When it comes to field work, you really have concentrated to get it right,’ he said.
He added: “Not forgetting the school side, because it’s also demanding. You have to study and go to lessons, but I’m really enjoying it. I’m still looking forward to reaching greater heights, this is a stepping stone to what I really want to achieve.”
Mavesere is expected to yet again play an important role for the Sables and the Zimbabwe Academy this season when they feature in both the Africa Cup and the SuperSport Rugby Challenge respectively.
