Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe Sables camp experienced a rare and bittersweet moment as fireworks and confetti rained down from the sky at DICK’S Sporting Goods Park this past weekend.
The Sables had just gone down 26-36 to Tonga and stayed behind to watch their next opponents, the United States of America, put up a spirited effort to edge out Portugal 30-26 in the World Rugby Nations Cup opener.
The fireworks were a double celebration for the hosts, as July 4 marked the country’s 250th birthday.
And a pyrotechnic show is customary for all Fourth of July celebrations.
“We are pleased to get a win for our rugby community on the Fourth of July, and we are proud of the boys for sticking to the basics and sticking to the game plan that we put in,” said US Eagles head coach Scott Lawrence post-match.
“The best part is we still have a lot of things that we can do better.
“We can only improve from here,” he said.
The two teams have since put their contrasting fortunes behind them and made the short trip to Charlotte, where
Zimbabwe takes on the US in the second round of Nations Cup fixtures this weekend.
For Zimbabwe, it is a chance to get their Nations Cup campaign back on the right foot after the disappointment against Tonga. They will, however, take comfort from their second-half display that saw the Sables go from 19-9 down at the break to pushing the Pacific Islanders and almost snatching it at the death.
The team showed great resilience and character in a second-half performance led by the antics and heroics of winger Edward Sigauke. The winger was instrumental in almost all of Zimbabwe’s second-half tries by Godfrey Muzanargwo, Blithe Mavesera, and Sigauke himself.
“The game went alright,” said Sables assistant coach Ricky Chirengende.
“We obviously had targets to try and target Tonga in the last 20 minutes, and I think for the most part that worked out.
“However, our concentration levels fell off at the death, and we leaked a few points.
“That then saw us losing the game,” he said.
Chirengende, however, said he believes the team is starting to gel and show great improvement. Their performance against Tonga was a marked improvement from the thrashing the Sables took at the hands of South Africa A. That lifeless performance saw Zimbabwe lose 40-0.
“I think we are at a point where people are starting to notice that Zimbabwe is not just here to add numbers,” said Chirengende.
“We’re actually here to win, and that has always been our marker.
“We are not here to add numbers, but we are here to compete and win,” he said.
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On the storied halftime pep talk, Chirengende added: “We just challenged each other to be better at certain things.
“We are quite brutal and honest with each other, and the guys took ownership of their mistakes and weaknesses.
“Credit to the players for taking ownership of where things were going wrong and where they could fix,” he said.
After arriving in Charlotte on Monday, Zimbabwe have already started taking stock of their weaknesses and preparing for their match against the United States of America.
“It’s no secret that our line-out didn’t quite tick, and that didn’t give us a good attacking platform to play from,” he said.
“So a lot of effort is going to be put into that area. We just need to fix the line-outs and make sure that we’re better come Saturday.
“We also need to be a little braver with our transitions, where we were quite good.
“If we can capitalise on those transitions and move the ball to our dangerous players, then things will happen for us.”
The Sables have already put the disappointments from the Tonga defeat behind them, and daggers are pointed at the US Eagles.
“Morale is good,” said Chirengende.
“We have already started training with intensity set to pick it up as the week goes. The US are obviously a very, very good team.
“They are quite structured and accurate in what they do, and we are definitely going to need to be at our best to beat them.
“They will also be playing in front of their home fans, and it’ll be nice and loud.
“But we have got our own support here in Charlotte.
“We know the Zim crowd and the Zimbabwe fans are going to come out in numbers to also spur us on,” he said.
