adminMehluli Sibanda in Victoria Falls
Zimbabwe Rugby Legends ………………… (0) 7
South African Rugby Legends ………… (34) 56
SOUTH African Rugby Legends continued their dominance over their Zimbabwe counterparts with yet another resounding victory at the Victoria Falls Primary School in the resort town yesterday. The South Africans ran in 10 tries, three of them converted while the Zimbabweans could only manage one converted try.
South African Legends went over the line in quick succession and went to the halftime break leading 34-0.
Pieter Dixon scored the first try of the match with Neil Cole failing to add the two extra points with an unsuccessful conversion kick. Winger John Mamesta was next on the scoresheet and went on to boot in the conversion kick.
There was nothing stopping the visitors, Trevor Halsted with the third five-pointer, going straight through from a lineout to dot down over the line.
David Hoesslin delivered the fourth try for the visitors whose conversion kick was missed.
Mametsa had his second try of the match just before the break but again the conversion kick did not go over.
The Zimbabweans were a much better side in the second half as they kept the South Africans from scoring for the first 10 minutes of the second period.
Hendrik Mentz, who had a superb second half, scored the seventh for South African Legends with the conversion kick putting the visitors 41-0 ahead.
Gert van der Merwe was the next to score for the South Africans before Mentz picked up his second try.
It took the introduction of South Africa-based Zimbabwean Kennedy Tsimba to switch sides for the locals to spark into life.
Some lovely work by Tsimba who continued playing after picking up a shoulder injury suffered while turning out for the South African Legends in the first half saw him set up local boy Simbarashe Gonese who scored the only try for Zimbabwe and went on to kick in the conversion kick.
Mentz rounded off a fine afternoon with his third try of the match as the South African Legends once again proved that there was a huge gap between them and their Zimbabwean counterparts.
The match, watched by an appreciative sizeable crowd was played more on a social level with uncontested scrums and rolling substitutes.
Next year is the turn for the Zimbabwean Old Timers to visit South Africa with the match set for the Kings Park Stadium in Durban in what will be the fourth edition of the fixture between the former players.
Online Reporter