Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . (16) 43
Morocco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(5) 8
THIS was probably just what the doctor ordered!
Not even the early morning showers in Kampala could do much to dampen the party mood in the Zimbabwe camp as the Sables began their Rugby Africa Cup defence in style and powered their way into the semi-finals.
The Sables’ convincing victory over Morocco at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala, in a mid-morning encounter, kick-started the 2025 tournament.
Zimbabwe’s commanding win also set them up for an explosive semi-final showdown against rivals Kenya.
Kenya edged hosts Uganda 32-24 in an Eastern African derby clash in a later game.
The defending champions had their nerves settled early as they took a 16-5 lead at the break.
But it was in the second half that the Sables really showed their class adding 27 points on the board while a late penalty is what the Moroccans could get for their efforts.
Flyhalf Ian Prior with a man-of-the-match show, led the Sables charge.
He kicked home 23 of the Sables points in the match.
These included five penalties and four conversions.
In fact, Prior made nine out of nine with his boot. The quartet of fullback Tapiwa Mafura, replacement Dylan Utete and wingers Edward Sigauke and Trevor Gurwe chipped in with four tries.
Sigauke had the crowd on their feet, spectacularly diving to plant his effort on a day when the Sables made a huge statement of their intention to end a 34-year-old wait to qualify for the World Cup.
The winners of this year’s Rugby Africa Cup will secure automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, while the runners-up would have to face another arduous qualification round — Repechage — against fellow second-best teams from other continental zones.
Yet it is still a long shot to fulfil that dream and the clash against Morocco yesterday was just the beginning.
But to their credit, Zimbabwe showed the difference in class from the recently-promoted North Africans, who found their points through a try by Yassine Maamry and a penalty from flyhalf llan El Khattabi.
The manner in which coach Piet Benade’s men went about their victory really stood out as they were clinical in a competition that is being played in a knock-out format.
Their clinical finishing would also have left the teams in the eight-nation tourney watching and concerned.
However, the early morning rains in Kampala, somewhat, neutralised both teams strengths with both sets of technical teams being forced to tamper with their game plans shortly before kick-off.
The wet pitch trumped Morocco’s set-piece oriented game.
The North Africans also struggled with their line-outs.
On their part, the Sables found themselves guilty of a lot of ball-handling errors, effectively nullifying the quick passing and fast game.
As a result, both teams opted to play for territory with Prior atoning for his less than stellar performance during the 2024 edition of the competition.
While he missed as many as seven crucial kicks in last year’s tourney, the 33-year-old former Australian Under-20 utility back has come back as a rejuvenated man and he duly made amends in yesterday’s match.
As arguably one of the most experienced players in both the Zimbabwe squad and the tournament, Prior took the bull by the horns and led his team to a resounding victory.
Sables captain Hilton Mudariki, who marked his 54th cap with a composed performance, praised the resilience and depth within the squad.
“We are very happy with the win.
“Quite a bit of grit was needed because of the weather in the beginning, but the boys held on well,” said Mudariki.
“I particularly loved how our bomb squad came on in the end and ollowed through with the same momentum.
“It shows depth in our squad. Like I said before the tournament started, we will take it game by game.”
One match in, and the Sables have shown they are not just in Uganda to compete . . they are on a mission to end the World Cup qualification jinx.
When the Sables last participated in the World Cup jointly hosted by England and France in 1991, it was by invitation.
They have often come perilously close since the format was changed with qualifying rounds being introduced.
With Morocco out of the way, the Sables have now moved to within two wins from fulfilling a dream that is anchored on more than two years of hard work.
The games will also certainly not come any easier with Kenya’s Simbas now waiting in ambush for one of Sunday’s two semi-final matches. And after playing earlier in the day, Benade, Mudariki and their troops would have been closely analysing the game between Uganda and Kenya.
The East Africans who have built their game around their Sevens players will offer a different dimension in what promises to be a fast-paced encounter.
Just like yesterday’s encounters, the semi-finals will be at the same Nelson Mandela Stadium.
