DeMbare, Rhinos share the spoils

Dynamos ................................... (0) Black Rhinos ............................. (0) HARARE giants Dynamos failed to capitalise on their superior ball possession at Rufaro yesterday and were held to their 17th draw of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League at home by Black Rhinos.

Yesterday’s stalemate means DeMbare joins Herentals for the joint highest number of draws 17 in this year’s Premiership season so far.

Dynamos, however, have the lowest number of defeats just five this season and with 44 points, 11 behind leaders CAPS United, and their supporters will feel if they had won a few games more they could be in the title matrix.

Like yesterday the Harare giants could have fancied their chances of collecting maximum points, as they dominated especially in the opening stanza.

Dynamos started the match on a good note, 15 minutes into the game forward Jarrison Selemani found space just outside the box but his effort went over the bar.

The soldiers were refusing to be cowed into submission either and, 30 minutes into the game Allen Gahadzikwa rose high to meet Jameson Mukombwe’s cross but could not direct his header at goal.

Black Rhinos are on 43 points just a point behind Dynamos which was preserved by a brave showing to halt their hosts who looked to be in the mood for maximum points.

The game at Rufaro was also not devoid of some talking points, with referee Prince Matumo clearly failing to stamp his authority on the match.

On the stroke of half-time he waved away what appeared a genuine penalty appeal by Dynamos after striker Evans Katema was brought down in the box by Bruce Homora.

After the breather he had some contentious decisions, he gave a free-kick to Black Rhinos but after a voiceferous disapproval from the DeMbare supporters he changed his heart and raised his hands in the air in an apparent appeal for forgiveness.

Just after the hour mark DeMbare should have taken the lead but Nigel Katawa failed to finish off a good lob from Selemani.

Moments later Selemani tried his luck after a good exchange with Katema inside the box.

But with four minutes remaining on the clock, DeMbare were fortunate to retain 11 players on the pitch, when Katema who was shown a yellow card in the first half for a handling offence was not punished by the referee for the same misconduct.

At the final whistle his coach Gift Muzadzi, who stood in for Tonderai Ndiraya who is away with the Warriors in Zambia, condemned the poor judgment by his striker.

“We do not expect such things from senior players like Evans . . . but I think the referee managed to handle the game very well. I do not want to comment more about the officiating.

“But the boys did their best today. We played two teams who play a physical game in one week.

“Black Rhinos play a physical game just like Chapungu and playing those two matches in a week I think it is fair to say it is a point gained for the team.

“Now we are preparing for the Harare Derby against CAPS United and I think we are ready for the game,” said Muzadzi.

Black Rhinos coach Herbert Maruwa was happy with the result.

“It was a good game maybe for both teams, but I think the condition of the pitch was difficult for both teams.

“Towards the end of the season it is difficult to get points and I am happy with this point. We need to finish on a high note.

“We need to finish in the top four and this point is a morale booster for us,” Maruwa said.

TEAMS Dynamos: M. Diya, E. Jalai (P. Siziba, 46th min), W. Sande, T. Muringai, N. Mangala (T. Macheke, 77th min), N Katawa, T. Chisi, A. Maliselo, S. Jarrison, E. Katema, K. Dhemere .

Black Rhinos: B. Mwandimutsira, J. Mukombwe, F. Banda, B. Homora, M. Mekiwa (M. Demera. 60th min), A. Tandi, K. Nyakudanga (G. Saunyama. 69th min), M. Mukumba, W. Mutasa (L. Murape, 77th min), W. Taderera, A. Gahadzikwa.

CAPE TOWN. — Thorough professional to the very last.

That label was pleasingly applicable to Zimbabwe-born Tendai Mtawarira as the veteran Springbok, just two weeks on from being a Rugby World Cup winner, still managed to summon plenty of gusto for the Barbarians in their entertaining 33-31 defeat to Fiji on Saturday.

In what represented his final international (albeit non-Test status) match, the popular loose-head prop stayed on the Twickenham turf for just over an hour of admirable industry, fittingly at the widely branded “home of rugby”.

It came despite the distractions of the last fortnight, including the multi-city victory parades by the Webb Ellis Cup-clinching Boks and precious little time for the squad to unwind with family and friends since the superlative 32-12 downing of England in the RWC 2019 final at Yokohama.

Once again defying his status as a 34-year-old, the “Beast”, who had already signalled his step-down after 117 Tests for South Africa, threw himself about against the Pacific Islanders with the energy of a man 12 years his junior in the 10-try (five apiece) spectacle.

Although the scrum is seldom a major feature of festival-geared Baa-Baas matches, Mtawarira carried on where he had left off for so much of his stellar closing Test year with some powerful set-piece shoves against under-pressure Fijian tighthead Samuela Tawake, a raw 23-year-old who would have learnt plenty about the trade on the day.

Not long before he was substituted, at a time props frequently “rotate” anyway, the yeoman Sharks servant had made some 35 metres at speed to clean up a dangerously bouncing ball in broken play — just another example of his reluctance to give anything but sterling input to whichever cause he’s been representing.

He was also only deprived of the particularly happy event of a farewell personal try in the second half when belated re-examination of television footage — long after he’d been awarded a dot-down and was grinning like a delighted schoolboy — showed that the ball had just squirted out between his upper right arm and chest as he barrelled over the line.

The unassuming personality has only ever registered two tries in his lengthy Springbok career. When he did, finally, exit the combat to appreciative applause from a healthy neutral crowd, renowned television commentator and former Welsh international Eddie Butler described Mtawarira as “one of the greats of the modern game” . . . quickly upgrading his tribute to “a giant of any age”.

The front-ranker was warmly embraced by coach Eddie Jones and assistant John Mitchell, whose dreams of World Cup glory as England masterminds had been dashed by Mtawarira and the other inspiring Springboks extremely recently.

Despite the outcome in Fiji’s favour, it was also a good day for Durban-based Test colleagues of the big prop who will rue his absence for the Sharks next year in the form of predatory left wing Makazole Mapimpi, who notched two tries, and centre Andre Esterhuizen, who did much that was constructive on both attack and defence.

Mtawarira had played six of his Bok Tests at Twickenham, the first having been 11 years ago in 2008 against England when the side led by John Smit notched a handsome, record 42-6 triumph. — Sport24.