GAME OF A RUGGER: JUNIOR RUGBY WORLD TROPHY
They say when writing the story of your life, don’t let anyone hold the pen. My name is Brendan Tanaka Jameson, commonly known as Jemamba. I am a proud student at Africa University currently studying BSc Honors in Environmental Studies and Natural Resource Management.
As of two months ago, I participated in The Junior Rugby World Trophy held in Kenya from the 15th to the 31st of July 2023. It really was a great opportunity to showcase the skills we had in rugby, though the outcome of the tournament was not as satisfying as I and the rest of our home supporters would have expected. No regrets were held for our love for the game of rugby only provided us with greater experience and knowledge to perfect our futures. We started our tournament on a low but as we got used to the physicality of Scotland in our first game we only went down by 33 points and the end score being 66-33, the team gave it their all and everyone was impressed with the type of performance they produced on that day.
Persistent trainings are the only means to survival in whatever match or fixtures you’ll get along, thus, we always trained hard in preparations for the World Trophy. On the 20th of July 2023, we took on Uruguay in the group and were down by 37 points the final score being 14-51. It was a tough game but the boys definitely bounced back on the 3rd game when we played the USA. That game was full of energy, as was playing at the wing, it was a beautiful game and we eventually grabbed a win over USA the score being 38-37. We came third in our group and we had to face one of our African rivals, Kenya. We won the game 64-10. Overall the tournament was a once in a lifetime experience. I got the opportunity to play one of the best countries in the world, Scotland.
The extracurricular activities provided by Africa University did not only keep me well trained but gave me an opportunity to preserve and keep the dream alive. I am proud to be an Africa University student who thrives for success and prosperity not only in academics but also in sports and athletics.