OH savour success, but look to improve

pre-season Heineken Invitational Tournament which will stand them in good stead ahead of the start of the domestic rugby league next weekend.
Old Boys won the tournament which also involved visiting Lusaka Rugby Club of Zambia.
But Madziva noted that despite winning the tourney his side still lacked in depth.
Madziva sent into battle a team comprised mostly of youthful players with a number of them having graduated from high school at the end of last year.
The Old Boys beat Lusaka Rugby Club and also dismissed bitter rivals Harare Sports Club.
The Zambians were also here for the same event last year where they emerged winners after beating both Harare Sports Club and the Old Boys. But they found Old Boys a tough proposition this time around. To claim the honours Madziva’s men first beat Sports Club 17-3 before edging Lusaka 10-8.
“It was a very happy and fruitful weekend or all of us at Old Hararians because not only did we win but we also learnt a number of lessons on how the boys are playing and the areas that need improvement.
“The biggest lesson was that we need to have depth in our side. As for the first team I was impressed but now coming to the second team I think that is where we need to work harder.
“After some of the players in the first team were injured in the final game against Lusaka, there was not much stability to the team. This means that we need players who are able to step into the shoes of the first team players
“We have very exciting combinations in the side but when we suffer injuries we then seem to have a problem. We have identified the first 22 but we need those fringe players from the second team that would stabilise the side in situations like these. So the challenge we are facing now is that of having depth preparing for back-ups,” said Madziva. The former Sables captain added that his side is yet to learn how to kill the game especially when they are leading in the dying stages of a match.
“When we first met Sports Club the boys were up for it and they never gave them time to settle and this was when we scored the early points and put a lot of pressure and it paid.
“But against Lusaka the boys didn’t know what to expect and the game proved a bit tight in the early stages where we also missed some penalties. We took the lead but then the boys were not able to restrict Lusaka form getting into the danger zone.”