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Brandon Moyo
WHEN the game ended, Sables head coach Piet Benade took a huge sigh of relief.
He had achieved a feat that no other coach of the country’s senior national rugby team had ever done in 20 years.
His Sables notched up a famous 32-10 win over old foes Namibia to advance to the final of the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala, Uganda.
It’s their first win over the Welwitschias in 23 years. The last time the Sables beat Namibia was in 2001 where they registered a hard fought 27-26 victory.
It was in Bulawayo.
This was on neutral soil and was very special.
Zimbabwe went to the half-time break with a convincing 14-3 lead before coming back to score 18 more points in the second stanza.
The Sables scored four tries with three of them coming in the second half.
After the break, Tapiwa Mafura scored the first try of the second half, making it 19-3 to Benade’s men before Brandon Mudzekenyedzi went on to extend the lead to 26-3.
With the Sables enjoying a comfortable lead, Takudzwa Musingwini added three more points to make it 29-3.
Flyhalf Ian Prior – in just his second game in green-and-white – was adding more points from the kicking tee.
Team skipper, Hilton Mudariki could not believe what transpired in the Ugandan capital.
“I’m at a loss of words. The amount of work, the amount of graft, I’m so happy for the guys,” said Mudariki. Zimbabwe will face Algeria in the final on Sunday.
Algeria beat Kenya 20-12.
The victory was a sweet one for all rugby stakeholders in the country.
What made the victory even more special was the fact that Namibia were the defending champions and the rivalry between the two teams dates back to 1999.
The Sables were the first African team at the first World Cup tournaments in 1987 and 1991 before Namibia overtook them.
The 2024 Africa Cup serves as the first stage towards qualification for Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.
Online Reporter