Mpumalanga Select humble Zim U-20

at the Pumas Rugby Stadium last night.
This was the first time that the side was playing as a team with the coaches trying different combinations in the experimental game which showed there was not enough depth in Zimbabwe for two teams at this level.
The second Under-20 team was expected to take on Mpumalanga Under-21 in the other game that was set to kick off later last night.
It was in the forwards that the young Zimbabwe team lost their game as the hosts gave them no chance to breath, won every ball that came through and forced Zimbabwe into a lot of errors and they capitalised on.
Zimbabwe got their consolation points through a second half Lenience Tambwera penalty midway into the Mpumalanga half.
It was in this half that Zimbabwe were a defensively better side as they only conceded 38 points compared to the 50 in the first half.
Mpumalanga were the first to touch down after the Presidents’ XV had dominated play with the hosts breaking loose just into the Zimbabwe half and touching down eight minutes into the game.
It was Mpumalanga tight head prop who found centre Henrich Boje to place out wide but the conversion was not as good as the hosts took a 5-0 lead.
It was not long before the hosts came back to haunt the Zimbabweans again as eighthman Gerrit Fourrie scored a converted try right under the posts a minute before scrummy Leon Meyer placed on the left again but Arno Venter missed again to give his side a 17-0 lead with 10 minutes on the clock.
In the 18th minute Zimbabwe were penalised for a high tackle just inside their own half and Venter had a good kick for touch on the right again where they went on to win their throw pushing over for another try from the five metre line.
Mpumalanga scrummy Meyer celebrated another try in the 22nd minute and from then the floodgates were opened.
Zimbabwe had a few penalties in between these tries, but they were not able to fully use them to their advantage as there were also a number of turnovers that the hosts forced and were able to convert into points.
Mpumalanga flyhalf Venter also appeared on the score sheet with his first try of the game when he broke loose just inside the Zimbabwe half to place under the posts and he took his bonus points to extend his sides lead to 36-0 inside 30 minutes.
And by the 33rd minute Mpumalanga had scored their seventh try of the game and despite having missed on several occasions from the acute angle, Venter showed he had learnt from his mistakes and did not have problems adding the conversion.
Zimbabwe came close to scoring soon after the restart when Old Georgians winger Wilson Seremani broke loose just inside Mpumalanga’s 22 metre and made a good run before passing to Lenience Tambwera who could have dived in the corner.
But he was unfortunate to step on the line following a tackle and they lost the line out.
By half-time the hosts were leading 50-0 courtesy of eight tries, five of them converted.
Presidents’ XV:
M. Bryce-Rodgers, J. Zulu, S. Lupuwana, G. Logan, A. Kamkwindo, T. Chowe, T. Kavenga, R. Howes, R. Morkel, D. Zimbudzana, W. Seremani, S. HUnduza, T. Toriro, L. Tambwera, M. McIntosh. Mpumalanga Select: CJ. Van Zyl, A. Stohman, JP. Roux, W. Franllin, E. Naggy, A. Bakker, J. Marx, G. Fourrie, JP. Du Plessies, R. Nyati, H. Boje, T . Loats, S. Petite, A. Venter, L. Meyer.