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Zimbabwe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (28) 70
Zambia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (10) 15
ZIMBABWE kicked off their Zambezi Series with a 70-15 mauling of regional neighbours Zambia in a match that had everything that one comes to expect from a derby at Harare Sports Club’s Machinery Exchange grounds yesterday.
Despite conceding the first points through a penalty by Zambia’s Alex Mwewa, Zimbabwe wasted no time in asserting their authority and never looked back from then.
Debutant Nyasha Shiripinda responded almost immediately, collecting the return kick-off and slicing through to score under the posts.
Lenience Tambwera, who had a flawless day with the boot, slotted the conversion to give the hosts an early lead.
French-based prop Bornwell Gwinji then powered over for Zimbabwe’s second try, capping off a series of bruising carries from the forwards.
Tambwera added the extras once again.
Captain Hilton Mudariki, marking his 51st Test cap, added a third with a trademark dart from close range, converted clinically by Tambwera.
Although Zambia struck back with a converted try of their own, the Sables remained in full control.
They ran in several more tries before the break with the likes of braces from Brian Nyaude, Jeff Makoni, Tambwera and skipper Hilton Mudariki while the likes of Aiden Burnett, Ryan Musumhi and Shingi Katsvere added more Zimbabwe put on an exhibition in which they showcased fluid backline movement and relentless for-ward pressure.
The half-time score stood at 28–10, with Zimbabwe firmly in the driver’s seat.
The second half saw the Sables explode into another gear, scoring an avalanche of tries as fatigue and defensive frailties took their toll on the visitors.
Zimbabwe’s depth off the bench maintained the pace, as the scoreline ballooned past 50.
By the final whistle, Zimbabwe had racked up ten tries in total, with Tambwera converting most of them, including several from difficult angles.
Zambia did manage to get on the scoreboard as the likes of Lawrence Besa and Sonny Nkole crossed the tryline while Mwewa added a conversion and a penalty.
After the match, Zimbabwe skipper, Mudariki, praised the team’s effort but acknowledged that they remain some room for improvement.
“We are super happy to have such a great win in front of the home fans,” said Mudariki.
“It’s good to see all the work we put in translating to the scoreboard and then get the win.
“However, we made a lot of errors on the field and had some discipline issues on the park, but these are things we will easily fix.
“Playing at home is always the best, especially when we also get a win.
The home fans played a huge role today,” he said With a 55-point margin, Zimbabwe take a massive advantage into the second leg and look well poised to retain their dominance in this regional rivalry.
