Zimbabwe’s Sables continued their impressive form with a dominant 80-12 win over the Botswana Vultures on Saturday at the Harare Sports Club. While the scoreboard reflects a comfortable victory, head coach Piet Benade was quick to point out that the performance still left room for improvement.
“I think it was a little bit patchy,” said Benade after the match. “We certainly had the quality to put a lot of pressure on them for 80 minutes, but we let ourselves down during patches of the match. However, in the grand scheme of things, it was a positive outing, and I am glad we got the win.”
The Sables ran in an impressive tally of 12 tries, with standout performances from France-based winger Shingi Katsvere, who grabbed a hat-trick, and captain Dion Khumalo and Tapiwa Malenga, who both bagged braces. Additional tries came from Tadiwanashe Gwashu, Darrell Makwasha, Brian Makamure, Aiden Burnette, and replacement Vuyiswa Mpofu.
Flyhalf Lenience Tambwera maintained his fine kicking form, converting eight of the tries, while Malenga added two more from the tee.
Botswana, who have only recently assembled their squad, showed moments of fight but struggled to contain the hosts. Their two tries came from centre James Vambe and right winger Lethogile Tsheko, with captain and flyhalf Brendon Van Zyl converting one.
Van Zyl admitted the visitors were up against a polished side but praised his teammates for their grit.
“Tough day out there, but I am really proud of the boys,” he said. “Zimbabwe are a good outfit; they played clever rugby and took advantage of our mistakes at every turn. We’ve got a lot to learn, and we’ll bounce back.”
With the return fixture scheduled for later this month, the Vultures will be aiming for a stronger showing. Meanwhile, the Sables continue to build vital momentum ahead of July’s Rugby Africa Cup.
