Namibia edge out Goshawks

Tinashe Kusema, Harare Bureau 

Zimbabwe Goshawks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .(13) 26

Windhoek Draught Welwitschias . . . . . . . . . . .(17) 31

ONE could have easily mistaken Zimbabwe Goshawks coach Brendan Dawson as the winning coach as the 55-year-old was smiling ear to ear soon after watching his young but talented side go down to Namibia’s Welwitschias at Harare Sports Club’s Machinery Exchange Grounds yesterday.

The two sides met in the latest chapter of their storied rivalry as the Zimbabwe Goshawks opened their account of the Mzansi Challenge.

It was a game that Zimbabwe really could and should have won had they made full use of the penalties they were awarded and held onto the ball better.

The young team left no less than three tries on the field through ball-handling errors.

However, neither the loss nor the high number of unforced errors could prevent Dawson from smiling to the post-match presser.

“I am over the moon, it’s amazing what this young team has done today (yesterday), and I am so very proud of them,” said Dawson.

“Irrespective of the 31-26 scoreline, it is a great victory for us as a group.

“The entire team put in a great shift, and I can’t really fault anyone for the loss or the errors,” he said. 

To his credit, there was very little to separate the two teams who are using this tournament as a developmental opportunity to blood in new players and, in the case of the World Cup-bound Namibia, look at new players.

Unlike in previous encounters between the two teams, Zimbabwe kept the game very close and defused the Namibian’s physicality with speed.

However, the experience of the visitors got them win as they got their tries from Jason Bendade, Mahepisa Tjeriko, and flyhalf Andre Berge. In fact, Berge had an outstanding game and controlled the game really well.

In addition to his try, he also chipped in with two conversions and four penalties.

Zimbabwe got on the scoreboard through three penalties and a conversion from skipper Hilton Mudariki, while McLean Muhambi, Patrick Macklin and Gideon Maseka scored the tries for the hosts.— Follow on Twitter @Nashaar