Zimbabwe Goshawks… (5) 23
Boland Cavaliers………. (15) 22
The Zimbabwe Goshawks battled back from a halftime deficit to snatch a thrilling win over the Boland Cavaliers at False Bay Rugby Club in Cape Town on Saturday.
It was the Cavaliers who stormed into a 15-0 lead after 26 minutes, after an early penalty to outside centre Gareth Skippers was followed up by tries to scrumhalf Jaidon Baron and left wing Warren Williams, with one converted by Skippers.
The Goshawks then hit back with a valuable unconverted try to left wing Ernest Mudzengerere after the halftime hooter to get on the board.
The Goshawks then continued their fightback in the first 10 minutes of the second half as replacement scrumhalf Hilton Madariki knocked over two penalties and replacement flyhalf Taku Musingwini dotted down for a converted try as they took an 18-15 lead after 49 minutes.
Williams second try, converted by Skippers then put the Cavaliers back in front after 60 minutes, leading to an exciting finish with Goshawks fullback Brendon Maume going over for an unconverted try with two minutes remaining which was enough to sneak the win.
The victory capped a memorable fortnight for the Goshawks, who have been making significant strides in their preparations for the 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers in July.
Zimbabwe, who are competing in South Africa’s second tier rugby competition as the Goshawks, bounced back from successive defeats Georgian side Black Lion and Griffons to break their duck in the competition with another nail-biting 22-21 win over African rivals Kenya two weeks ago.
Saturday’s win also justified the decision by the Zimbabwe coach Brendan Dawson to include three youth internationals in his squad after two of them scored tries to inspire the victory.
Meanwhile in another Currie Cup First Division match played on Saturday Kenyan side the Simbas picked up a comfortable 35-12 (halftime 12-7) win over the Border Bulldogs at the Davidson Stadium in Alice.
The defending champions Leopards upset the high flying Valke picking up a 25-15 win, while the unstoppable Down Touch Griffons claimed another bonus point win, this time beating the South Western District Eagles 40-16 to be the only unbeaten team left in the Carling Currie Cup first division.