Mudariki returns to lead Goshawks

SKIPPER Hilton Mudariki is expected to make his return to the Goshawks line-up when they face Eastern Province Elephants in their penultimate Currie Cup First Division rugby fixture at Nelson Mandela Bay in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, this afternoon.

Having missed last weekend’s 37-0 mauling at the hands of the Leopards, Mudariki’s return could prove timely as the team cries for a leader to help calm nerves. The Goshawks have now lost two games on the bounce, during which they also failed to register any points on the board.

Resultantly, they have been stuck on 12 points for the better part of the last three weeks.

There is also the impending Rugby Africa Cup squad announcement slated for June 10 in Cape Town.

What this means for most of coach Brendan Dawson’s charges is that today’s clash against the Elephants could be their last chance to impress and punch their ticket to France for the Africa Cup.

The Elephants themselves are sure to give the Goshawks a good run for their money, as Eastern Province have been one of the impressive teams in the Currie Cup.

Going into this round of fixtures, Eastern Province are second on the log standings and have only tasted defeat twice.

Only the unbeaten Down Touch Griffons

have a better record than Eastern Province’s 26 points from seven matches.

However, Zimbabwe’s participation in the competition has never been much about results, a point Mudariki reiterated yesterday.

The captain also shrugged off claims it might be a nervy atmosphere in the camp ahead of the squad announcement.

“The mood in camp has been good despite the two heavy defeats we faced in our last encounters. We have been working very hard to fix the mistakes that we made the last couple of weeks.

“The discussions have been about ourselves, making sure that we achieve the things that we want to achieve in terms of sorting out our backline, looking at different combinations and making sure that everyone is on the same page,” he said.

“The Leopards are a quality outfit; they were playing for promotion to the Premier Division Currie Cup last week, and it should be a good game.

“We are looking forward to the game; we just have to execute our game plan well and stick to our structure.

“We know that there is a bigger picture which is ahead, and this is the perfect opportunity for us to bounce back after a disappointing couple of weeks.”

Mudariki said the team has spoken as a unit and resolved that the announcement will take care of itself.

He was among the wholesome changes to the starting 15 which Dawson made for today’s clash.

The coach made as many as 11 changes to the team that lost to the Leopards, bringing in Tyran Fagan, Matthew Mandioma, Gabriel Sipapate, Godfrey Muzanargwo, Nyasha Tarusenga, Conor Kennedy, Tavonga Ablant and Mudariki.

The Goshawks’ front pack of Victor Mupunga, Liam Larkan and Bornwell Gwinji have been relegated to the bench and will be replaced by Fagan, Mandioma and Sipapate.

Late arrival Matthew McNab is expected to revert back to his favoured wing position (left), replacing Marcus Nel, who has since been moved to the right-centre position.

Mudariki returns to the starting line-up at the scrumhalf position, replacing Kyle Galloway, who also makes his way to the bench.

Shayne Makombe has been dropped from the match-day squad, his place being taken by Ablant at right wing.

Goshawks

Tyran Fagan, Matthew Mandioma, Gabriel Sipapate, Sean Beevor, Godfrey Muzanargwo, Kelvin Kanenungo, Johan Du Preez, Nyasha Tarusenga, Hilton Mudariki, Takudzwa Musingwini, Matthew McNab, Taku Chieza, Marcus Nel, Tavonga Ablant, Conor Kennedy

Replacements

Liam Larkam, Victor Mupunga, Bornwell Gwinji, Godwin Mangenje, Aiden Burnett, Kyle Galloway, Brendon Marume, Biselele Tshamala