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Takudzwa Chitsiga
Sports Reporter
A HILTON Mudariki-inspired Zimbabwe men’s rugby side managed to get the better of visiting Burkina Faso 101-3 in a Rugby Africa Pool D match at Old Georgians Sports Club in Harare on Sunday.

After several weeks in camp, the Sables finally got back on the park with a date against the west African giants Burkina Faso and Brendan Dawson gave former Junior Sables flank Sebastian Roche and inside centre Marcus Nel full senior debuts.

The duo did not disappoint as they both managed to score a try each as the Sables managed an incredible 15 tries.

The Stallions, as Burkina Faso are known, who booked a match against Zimbabwe after they beat Cameroon 17-13 in the round-robin qualifiers.

Zimbabwe were awarded the right to host the tournament after Tunisia’s withdrawal as both hosts and participants in the Rugby Africa Cup Pool D matches following an increase in coronavirus cases in the north African country.

Tunisia had initially been scheduled to host the Sables and Burkina Faso last month in Monastir with the top two placed nations progressing to next year’s knock-out stages of the continental tournament which will serve as the final qualifier for the 2023 World Cup.

On Sunday, Mudariki captained Sables did not have their defence not breached at all as the Stallions got their only points from a first-half penalty goal booted in by their fly-half Kassoum Deme.

The Zimbabwe tries came from Shingirai Katsvere, Matthew McNab and Cleopas Kundiona who scored two tries each while the rest of the scores came from Biselele Tshamala, Keith Chiwara, Sebastian Roche, Marcus Nel, Deanne Makoni, Martin Mangongo, Shayne Makombe, Aiden Burnett and Matthew Mandioma who crossed the line once each.

Number 10 Chiwara had nine conversions, while his replacement Dudley White-Sharpley kicked in four conversions.

Burkina Faso only managed to trouble the scoreboard with a solitary penalty by their fly half Kassoume Deme.

The two sides square off again on Thursday, with Zimbabwe all but assured of finishing on top of Group D.