The Sunday News
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
The Hilton Mudariki captained Sables ran in 15 tries on the day with their defence not breached at all as the Stallions got their only points from a first half penalty goal booted in by their fly-half Kassoum Deme.
Shingirai Katsvere, Matthew McNab and Cleopas Kundiona scored two tries apiece while Biselele Tshamala, Keith Chiwara, Sebastian Roche, Marcus Nel, Deanne Makoni, Martin Mangongo, Shayne Makombe, Aiden Burnett as well as Matthew Mandioma crossed the whitewash once each.
Number 10 Chiwara also weighed in with nine conversions while his replacement Dudley White-Sharpley kicked in four conversions.
Zimbabwe raced to a 47-3 lead at halftime after they scored seven tries in the opening stanza and Chiwara booted in six conversions in the first 40 minutes of the contest. The Sables did not put the foot off the pedal in the second half as they crossed the whitewash eight times to send a big statement that they were far much better than Burkina Faso.
Brendan Dawson, the Sables coach must be pleased with his team’s performance.
The two teams clash once again in the last match of pool D at the same venue on Thursday with all pointing to Zimbabwe finishing on top of the group.
Pool D was reduced to two teams after Tunisia withdraw from the tournament that serves as a qualification pathway for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Tunisia were meant to host the pool matches but rising coronavirus cases in the North African country saw the tournament being moved to Zimbabwe. With Covid-19 infections on the rise in Tunisia, the North African country’s authorities refused to grant permission for the rugby team to make the trip to Zimbabwe._@Mdawini_29
