Panthers start 2012 with victory

In a match played under a blistering sun on Saturday at Hartsfield Rugby Grounds, Panthers’ forwards drove hard in Bulldogs’ defence and broke them down. The George “Rollo” Mukorera coached side totally dominated their Nketa-based opponents in the scrums, rucks and line-outs.
A few minutes into the game Panthers scored a try through a concerted effort by the forwards, a conversion followed taking Panthers points’ tally to seven. This conversion proved to be a rare occurrence as poor kicking from both sides characterised the game from then on.
Despite their victory the Panthers’ junior side put up a rather scrappy performance that was marred by a lot of unforced errors such as knock-ons and forward passes. The line-outs of both teams were pathetic to say the least as jumpers from both sides could not co-ordinate their efforts with the throwers.
Panthers gave away over a dozen penalties which broke the rhythm of the game. Fortunately for Panthers, Bulldogs were equally out of form and they failed to capitalise on the opportunities handed to them on a silver platter. They chose to run the ball rather than kick for touch or attempt to convert most of the penalties awarded to them.
They ran into a solid Panthers defence and as a result failed to score a single try from the numerous penalties. Close to half time Bulldogs were awarded a penalty directly in front of the posts and still they failed to convert it into points. At half time Panthers were leading 17-0.
In the second half the Bulldogs pack was beginning to show signs of fatigue and another two tries followed in quick succession. The game lacked a lot in terms of strategy and most players opted to run with the ball – school boy fashion – playing to the crowd, which did not help much in the way of scoring points probably this was so because the players are still young.
Late into the second half Bulldogs found their kicking boots and began to play a more strategic game with serious attempts at gaining ground. It was too little too late however for the Bulldogs as the Panthers had by then secured their victory.
Another Panthers try broke the Bulldogs’ spirit and the players walked back to the restart with drooped shoulders.
In a post-match interview Panthers assistant coach Tichaona Mupamadzi conceded that their game was not up to standard. “We fielded a very junior side as most of the players are below the age of 18,” he said.
“We have also just come back from the holidays and we only managed to have one practice session this week but we hope we will have a better game next time.
“The boys just need to improve on their ball handling skills and they also need to get to know each other as most of them have never played together before. Once they gel as a team we are certain to improve.” Mupamadzi said.
In the other match of the day Old Miltonians (OMs) outclassed defending champions Busters and won the game 20-5.
OMs drew first blood through a converted penalty. The three points were the only points of the first half. Hard tackles were exchanged in that half as both teams battled to defend their try line.
The Zimbo Cup is an annual rugby tournament for players under the age of 20. Old Miltonians won the inaugural leg of the tournament in 2010 and Busters won it last year making them the defending champions.
All four teams – OM’s, Busters, Panthers and Bulldogs- which are taking part in the tournament will play each other in a round robin format and the two highest placed will meet in the final.
Panthers are the oldest high-density suburbs team having been formed in the early 1980’s, playing at first as Bulawayo Rhinos before joining the Highlanders Sports’ Association family.