BY SPORTS REPORTER
Zimbabwe Goshawks… (5) 23
Boland Cavaliers………. (15) 22
TEENAGE fullback Brendon Marume scored a memorable last minute try on his full senior team debut as the Zimbabwe Goshawks stunned South African outfit Boland Cavaliers to register their second consecutive win in the Currie Cup First Division in Cape Town yesterday.
The victory at False Bay Rugby Club 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 two successive defeats to break their duck in the competition with another last gasp 22-21 win over African rivals Kenya two weeks ago.
Yesterday they needed to dig very deep to pick up their second win of the competition.
They trailed 15-0 after the first 27 minutes as Boland ran in three tries against the run of play.
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Prop Bornwell Gwinji came close to reducing the deficit after being held up inside the try box but the Goshawks’ persistence finally paid off when winger Ernest Mudzengerere crossed the whitewash after the halftime hooter to give Zimbabwe a glimmer of hope.
The Goshawks carried the momentum into the second half as skipper Hilton Mudariki, who had started on the bench converted two successive penalties to reduce Boland’s lead to four points.
Zimbabwe Under-20 skipper Takudzwa Musingwini, who had been introduced at the start of the second half, handed the Zimbabwe side the lead for the first time in the match with a try under the posts.
Mudariki added the extras to give the Goshawks an 18-15 lead with half an hour left. After a period of dominance the Goshawks almost undid their good work after Boland reclaimed their lead with a breakaway converted try which gave them an 18-22 lead.
Boland appeared to have done enough to hold on for a win until Marume finished off a great move by the Goshawks to seal a thrilling win for the Goshawks.
The win also justified the decision by the Zimbabwe Goshawks head coach Brendan Dawson to include three youth internationals in his squad after two of them scored tries to inspire the victory.
