The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe women’s Sevens’ side yesterday put up a flawless performance to finish the day unbeaten in their opening games of the Rugby Sevens World Cup pre-qualifiers in Maseru, Lesotho.
Not only did the Lady Cheetahs finish unbeaten, they also managed the feat without conceding a try.
Coach Derek Chiwara’s charges sent a statement of intent when they began their quest for honours with a 62-0 demolition of hosts Lesotho.
In that game, Zimbabwe’s tries came from Carol Malenga who touched down five times, a brace from Robyn Mhembere, while the likes of co-captain Lindiwe Munerenyu, Samantha Chirongoma, Chiwoniso Mabika, Delight Mukomondo and debutant Precious Chirinda weighed in with a try each.
Malenga and Mukomondo also chipped in with two conversions apiece.
The Lady Cheetahs subsequently dispatched old rivals Namibia and Botswana by identical scores of 39-0.
Multi-talented sportsperson Precious Marange, who also plays for the national cricket team (the Lady Chevrons), was the star of the show in the game against Namibia.
She finished with two tries and as many conversions.
Rumbidzai Chigumba, Peace Sithole and Gladys Mukome also got in on the demolition job.
They each had a try, while Mukomondo and Malenga continued from where they left to plant the ball down once each.
With the job done, courtesy of the triumph over Namibia, Chiwara was all smiles and paid tribute to his charges for sticking to the gameplan.
“We had a beautiful day because at the end of the day, winning every game is always a positive.
“I am happy that the girls stuck to the goals that we set and one of the major focus for us was our defence.
“We needed to be very aggressive, we needed to be solid and they did just that and made sure that we did not concede a single try.
“So, credit to the girls for all the hard work,” Chiwara said.
While generally pleased with the effort and results, he is not putting too much focus on the victory margins.
He warned the Lady Cheetahs against complacency as there is still one more days’ worth of play before the team can rest.
“Going into the day’s play, especially after the first game where we put 62 points on the board, you could tell that complacency was creeping in.
“And as a coach, when that starts happening, you have to quickly take action …
“Now, all we have to do is make sure that we focus on what is needed in terms of our gameplan and treat each game accordingly.”
Zimbabwe returns to action this afternoon with a match against Mauritius.
After a blistering start, Chiwara’s charges will now be fancying their chances of winning the tournament.
