Kampala – Zimbabwe captain Hilton Mudariki said he was “at loss of words” after leading his side to a first win over Namibia in two decades as the Sables stormed into Sunday’s Rugby Africa Cup final.
The Sables comfortably won 32-10 at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala after scoring four tries and flyhalf Ian Prior adding on from the kicking tee on Wednesday.
An explosive backline was Zimbabwe’s main weapon, with the 20-year-old right winger Edward Sigauke collecting a well-weighed cross kick from Prior to score the first try after Namibia’s captain and flyhalf Danco Burger had given the defending champions the lead through a penalty.
Outside-centre Brandon Mudzekenyedzi increased Zimbabwe’s lead after showing a clean pair of heels to cross the whitewash.
Man-of-the-match Tapiwa Mafura, a joy to watch throughout the match, put daylight between the two Southern African rivals with a third for Zimbabwe in the second half.
Fullback Mafura, who made dangerous attacks with his slick skills, then dummied two Namibia players to set up Mudzekenyedzi for the match-sealing try.
Replacement flyhalf Denzo Bruwer then made sure the Namibians finished the match with a try, which he converted, but Zimbabwe had all but booked a place in Sunday’s final against Algeria. The North Africans stunned Kenya 20-12 earlier in the other semi-final.
Zimbabwe last beat Namibia exactly 23 years ago, in July 2003 in Bulawayo, in an Africa Cup match.
“I’m at loss of words,” Zimbabwe captain and scrumhalf Hilton Mudariki said in the post-match interview.
“The amount of work, the amount of graft, I’m so happy for the guys.”
Zimbabwe’s memorable win ended Namibia’s decade-long dominance in the competition, where they have clinched the Rugby Africa Cup title six times in the past ten years.
The Sables, who are chasing their first title since their maiden continental triumph in Tunisia in 2012, will now start as favourites in the final against North Africans Algeria as the curtains come down on what has been a memorable tournament in Uganda on Sunday, July 28.