Augustine Hwata Sports Reporter
SEASONED lock, Costa Dinha, feels driven by the need to do well to motivate his troops when he captains the Goshawks in a high-profile friendly against South African provincial side Valke at Harare Sports Club tonight.
A former basketball star, Dinha, wants to be in his best form to inspire Goshawks to a positive result in the warm-up game as they prepare for the African Cup and the Victoria Cup matches.
“The pressure is always there on me as the captain of the side.
“So I need to play well so that I motivate the players. If I cannot play well, then I have to try and motivate them on the field,” he said.
Dinha is hopeful that the match against Valke will come handy in Zimbabwe’s preparations for the forthcoming international assignments.
“We do not expect anything less than the tough matches we have played before.
“It’s going to be a good preparation ahead of the Africa Cup and the Victoria Cup ties,” said Dinha.
Sables’ coach Brendon Dawson said his charges were ready to face the Gauteng side and challenged his players to come to the party.
The coach has only included two overseas-based players in the squad — prop Denford Mutamangira and scrumhalf Charles Jiji.
“I think it’s the best possible preparations we could have made under the conditions.
“We have been restricted to locally based players and very few foreign-based.
“But this game gives an opportunity for the locally-based players to come and prove themselves,” said Dawson.
A former Sables captain himself, Dawson said he would use tonight’s game to consider his options for the forthcoming games.
Zimbabwe are the defending Victoria Cup champions, a tri-nations competition that also involves Uganda and Kenya. 
Zimbabwe are set to travel to Tunisia where they will take on the hosts, Ugandan Cranes and Kenya in the African Cup between July 9 to 15.
“It’s good for us to be playing them (Valke) because they are a professional side.
“We are going to gain a lot from them.
“This game is going to be a tremendous leap in our preparations,” said Dawson.
Dawson highlighted that he has opted for a mixture of youthful talent and also brought in a couple of veterans to steady the ship.
Seasoned players like winger Wesley Mbanje, Fortune Chipendo, and Jacques Leitao, who captains the Sevens, have been selected for this game.
Centre Daniel Hondo and former Churchill High skipper, Tangai Nemandire, have also been brought in.
But visiting Falcons’ coach, John Williams, said the Goshawks should brace for a lively encounter as the South Africans shape up for their domestic league.
“We brought 24 players here and they are all professional athletes.
“The players are looking forward to the game and they have to be positive about the experience,” said Williams. Valke, who play in Currie Cup and the Vodacom Cup, will start their season this with a game against the Leopards on June 30.
Last night, the tourists had a feel of the match venue for the game which has received support from Greencard Medical Aid and Delta Beverages.