Online Reporter
Tinashe Kusema
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE Zimbabwe Sables yesterday made the short journey from Denver to Charlotte, where they will face the hosts, the US, at the American Legion Memorial Stadium this weekend.
The two teams had contrasting starts to the Nations Cup, with the Sables falling behind 26-36, while the US edged out Portugal 30-29 courtesy of a last-minute penalty from Christopher Hilsenbeck.
Both teams played at DICK’s Sporting Goods Park, giving the Sables camp a chance to scout their next opponents.
“The US is a physical and well-organised side, it should be a good encounter,” said Sables skipper Hilton Mudariki.
“We have now watched them play and know they will be another tough challenge for us, but we’re looking forward to it,” he said. The Sables have a couple of days to get their house in order, but they should take confidence from their spirited dis-play against Tonga.
The match opened up the Nations Cup campaign and managed to live up to the expectations from two teams that will also meet at next year’s Rugby World Cup.
The two have been drawn in the same pool, alongside England and Wales.
Tonga struck first blood as they won the first instalment of their two-legged duel.
The Pacific Islanders got on the scoreboard through tries from Telusa Veainu, Fatongia Paea, Semisi Paea, and substi-tute Sekope Lopeti Moli.
Fly-half Patrick Pellegrini finished the game with two conversions and a penalty, while William Havili chipped in with two conversions of his own.
Zimbabwe did get on the scoreboard through tries from Matthew Mandioma, Godfrey Muzanargwo, Blithe Mavesera, and Edward Sigauke.
Ian Prior had three conversions.
“It was a tough Test match,” said Mudariki.
“I thought our first half was decent, but we didn’t take our opportunities, especially at set pieces, and our discipline.
“This allowed Tonga to get away from us.
“We, however, showed good character in the second half, but left ourselves with too much to do,” he said
Mudariki added that he remains proud of the resilience Zimbabwe showed in the second half and almost stole an unlikely win.
“I’m really proud of the resilience the boys showed.
“At half-time, the message was to stay calm, trust our systems, and improve our discipline.
“We had also focused all week on the last 20 minutes of a match and how our impacts off the bench could change the game, and that’s exactly what happened,” he said.
Looking ahead, Zimbabwe will take the positives from that match and address its weaknesses before facing the United States this weekend.
“The positives were our resilience and the impact from the bench,” said the skipper.
“We hope to carry that onto the US game.
“The negatives were our discipline and not taking our opportunities when they came.
“We lost the game by not being clinical enough and giving away too many penalties. “Tonga took their chances and managed the key moments well.
“For now, we will keep working on our discipline, set-piece, and being more clinical when we create opportunities.
