The Sunday Mail
Online Reporter
ENGLAND-BASED eighth-man Aiden Burnett had his first taste of leadership and could not have asked for a better result as the Zimbabwe Goshawks rallied from a ten-point deficit to beat Boland Kavaliers 23-22 in an entertaining Currie Cup First Division tie last weekend.
The 24-year-old hopes to carry that momentum into Saturday’s tie against Border Bulldogs.
“Yeah, it was a great game,” said Burnett.
“The first half was a little bit edgy, but the boys came back firing during the second half.
“To then go ahead and get that win was massive for us.
“We had not won against a South African provincial side in 26 years, so this was a very big bonus for us, especially as we head into the World Cup qualifiers after this tournament,” he said.
With regular skipper Hilton Mudariki relegated to the bench for the tie, Burnett was handed the captain’s armband for the match.
The win looks to have rubbed off on both Burnett and the entire team.
The Goshawks’ next assignment will be against the winless Border Bulldogs, but Burnett still maintains that Zimbabwe will go into the match as underdogs.
“They (Bulldogs) haven’t had the best of campaigns this season as they are bottom of the log, but it still should be a highly competitive match,” said the England-based forward.
