Mixed fortunes for rugby U-20s

Zimbabwe travelled for this tour with two squads that the technical team, led by coach Brighton Chivandire and his assistant Godwin “Jaws” Murambiwa, are expected to pick the final squad for the Junior World Rugby Trophy tournament in two months’ time.
Captained by Sean Linfield, the A side showed a world of difference compared to how their countrymen played as they made good use of the forwards who dominated to build a good base for the backline to attack and win the game.
Chivandire was happy with the way the night game went and believes his side achieved the set goals in what he described was a fruitful tour that gave him an insight into the kind of players he has at his disposal.
“There were two areas of priority going into this game and these were, firstly, playing at a high intensity and, secondly, work hard for the entire 80 minutes. I am happy that we achieved both in the first half and in the second half we worked hard and we missed two opportunities that we could have converted into points but that is always expected, especially when bodies are tired. Our forwards in this game set a good platform for our backs against strong opposition, also not forgetting that there were a number of players we were trying in new positions they have not played before,” said Chivandire.
Zimbabwe got their points through first half converted tries by Dylan Coetzee, who opened the account within six minutes, McLean Muhambi, but Linfield was not able to convert Joshua Smallbones’ try before converting a penalty.
And at half-time, Zimbabwe had taken a 22-0 lead but there were no tries that came through in the second half and the visitors had to rely on penalty kicks but Linfield only managed two of the four he took adding six points to the half-time score.
However, for Chivandire winning the games could have been a bonus.
Zimbabwe were a better side, compared to how they played in the first game on Saturday, with a number of players, who include Kudakwashe Makuvire, Victor Mushoriwa, Coetzee Muhambi and Smallbones, on a high.
“We tested a number of combinations and most were successful and there are a lot of positive things to work on and as the technical team we were satisfied with the outcome of the goals we had set for ourselves . . . the result is good. We had the ability to finish off when we got the chance in attack mode and this is what we failed to do on Saturday but that being the first game it was always going to be difficult to get the combinations right the first time.
“So in this game we started where we finished off on Saturday as we worked as a team and the team was a solid unit and as a result our goal was successful as we had a chance of looking at all the players whom we came with on tour.
“The majority of players played at a high work rate which will give us a guideline as we go on to select our final squad,” added Chivandire.
But the 88-3 defeat to the Leopards was something Chivandire was not taking lightly.
“I was not happy though with the way we played the first game, losing 88-3 to the Leopards. We dominated in the first 10 minutes where we were camped in their half but we did not score any points. And once there was a turnover, we lost the ball and they took advantage, converted their chances into points as we lost our structure and the floodgates opened,” said Chivandire.