Vusumuzi DubeMehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
THERE was heartbreak for Zimbabwe in their quest to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World when their journey ended in the semi-finals of the Rugby Africa Cup, the Sables beaten 34-19 by Namibia at Stade Maurice David, Aix-en-Provence in France on Wednesday.
Brendan Dawson’s men needed to win the match against the Welwitschias but were already trailing 14-5 going into halftime after conceding two tries while they only breached the Namibian defence just once in the first stanza.
Zimbabwe fought hard in the second half but could only manage a further 14 points while their opponents added a further 20 in the same period.
It was a heart-breaking result but it was always going to be tough for the Sables considering that Namibia had dominated past meetings between the two teams in the past. Zimbabwe had before Tuesday’s encounter only managed three wins from 33 matches, with their last win coming in July 2001 when they defeated Namibia 27-26 at Hartsfield Rugby Ground in an African CAR Championship fixture.
Namibia will now play Kenya in the Rugby Africa Cup final Stade Maurice David, Aix-en-Provence on Sunday while the Sables will look to finish stronger when they clash with Algeria in a third-place playoff in an early kick off at the same venue.
The winner between Namibia and Kenya will secure automatic qualification to next year’s Rugby World Cup while the loser still has an opportunity to make it to the global showpiece via the playoffs. –Follow on Twitter @Mdawini_29
Bongani Ndlovu