The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
WHILE the euphoria of the Zimbabwe Goshawks’ first Currie Cup win in the current campaign has died down, coach Brendan Dawson has since paid tribute to his charges for a job well done.
The Goshawks finally got their campaign back on track courtesy of 21-20 win over the Kenya Simbas at City Park Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday.
Tries from Biselele Tshamala, Takudzwa Chieza, Matthew Mandioma, coupled with two conversions and a penalty from Hilton Mudariki, cancelled out a spirited fight-back from the Kenya Simbas.
The Simbas got their points from a try by Vincent Owinal, including three penalties and a conversion from Jone Tavaga.
“Obviously, it was a great one,” said Dawson.
“We rode to the bitter end, fought for 21 phases, and to then secure the victory is a great testament to how the guys committed themselves to the game.
“We are very happy with the win, as beating Kenya is always a massive target of ours,” he said.
The win saw the Goshawks jump to seventh spot on the Currie Cup First Division log standings, with four points from three games, while the Kenya Simbas remain ninth with just one point from two games.
Valke tops the table with 15 points, followed by Eastern Province (11), Down Touch Griffons (10), and Black Lion and SWD Eagles with nine points each.
The Leopards (5), Zimbabwe Goshawks (4), Boland Kavaliers (4), Kenya Simbas (1) and Broder Bulldogs (0) wrap up the log standings.
With the victory firmly in the bag, the Goshawks have another extended break before their next game against the Boland Kavaliers on May 7.
During that time, Dawson hopes to work on a few areas that he viewed as suspect during the Kenya win.
“We have some areas to work on, particularly in the breakdown where I felt we were not accurate enough and could have been more clinical,” he said.
“The timing of the breakdowns and the ball coming out are the other areas we need to work on.
“These are some of the areas we have to work on before our next game.”
Nonetheless, the victory over Kenya should give the Goshawks some much-needed confidence, especially given the fact that both sides have their sights on the Rugby Africa Cup.
After the Currie Cup campaign, the two teams are expected to travel to France for the Rugby Africa Cup tournament, which is also being used as qualifiers for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Zimbabwe will begin that tournament with a date against Ivory Coast, with the winner meeting the victor of the clash between Namibia and Burkina Faso.
Kenya, on the other hand, begin their campaign with a date against Uganda, and the winner will meet the victor of the tie between Senegal and Algeria.
The winner of the eight-nation Africa Cup on July 10 will advance to the World Cup in 2023 in France.
