The Zimbabwe Goshawks will open their Currie Cup First Division campaign with a tough date against the Black Lion outfit from Georgia at Villagers Rugby Club in Cape Town on Saturday.
The match kicks off at 2pm.
Zimbabwe will be aiming for a positive start in South Africa’s second tier competition, which they are using to prepare for the Rugby World Cup qualifiers to be played in France in July.
The Goshawks kicked off their training camp in Cape Town on March 21 and stepped up their preparations for the Currie Cup First Division by getting the better of Boland in a preparatory match played in Wellington, Western Cape on Saturday.
Practise game Vs Boland Cavaliers ✅
6 Tries ✅
Serious Prep for @TheCurrieCup✅And now we put in the final preparation for @TheCurrieCup💪
⌛ 5️⃣ days until we start our journey to new beginnings and the possibility of qualifying for #RWC2023#FreshStart #ZimRugby pic.twitter.com/whept6Ng7t
— Zimbabwe Sables 🇿🇼 (@SablesRugbyZW) March 28, 2022
During the warmup game against Boland, the Goshawks scored six tries while their opponents crossed the whitewash four times.
Sables captain Hilton Mudariki scored two tries while Dylan Utete, Russel Dinha, Darrel Makwasha and Tawanda Matipano managed a try each in a big confidence boost for the side which is laden with upcoming young talent.
The Brendan Dawson-coached side will however face a test of character in their opening against a physical Black Lion outfit.
The newly created Georgians professional team will also be making its debut in the Currie Cup but last year featured in the Rugby Europe Super Cup which also featured teams from Israel, Russia, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, and the Netherlands.
Zimbabwe Goshawks, who are fielding a new look squad with a blend of youth and experience will be eager to show there are no push overs despite the absence of some of their high-profile players due to contractual obligations with their clubs.
The Zimbabwe Goshawks are one of the three international representatives in this year’s Carling Currie Cup First Division together with the Black Lion outfit from Georgia and Kenyan representative the Simbas.
The trio of international participants will join the defending champions, the Leopards, Griffons, South Western Districts, Boland, Eastern Province, Border and the Valke over a single round of action, with the final scheduled for the final weekend of June.