OLD Hararians (OH) coach Cyprian Mandenge said he’s not getting carried away with his charges’ derby win over their rivals Harare Sports Club on Saturday and believes they still have a lot to do to reclaim their Lion Lager National Rugby League title.
SPORTS REPORTER
OH underlined their championship credentials with a hard fought 31-20 victory over Harare Sports Club to complete a rare double over the defending champions after winning the reverse fixture 18-13 on their home turf three months ago.
In a tightly contested encounter, OH got their points through a brace of tries from Patrick Tenesi and further tries from Tangai Nemadire and centre Lungile Tshuma while skipper Tichafara Makwanya added two penalties and two conversions. Harare Sports Club got all their points from stand-in fly-half Teddy Hwata who scored two tries, two penalties and two conversions.
The win saw Mandenge’s men maintaining pole position on the log standings ahead of Old Georgians with three more rounds to go before the semi-finals. The top four teams on the log standings after the round robin phase qualify for the semi-finals. While expressing his delight at his players’ performance on Saturday, Mandenge remained cautious about his team’s championship aspirations.
“Obviously we are happy with the win and I attribute the result to the never-die attitude by my players. However, we might have beat Harare Sports Club, but we still have to take each game as it comes and ensure that we remain focused because there is a lot to play for and all the teams will be out to do well against us,” Mandenge said after successfully plotting his former team’s downfall.
“For instance, I think we were very poor last week against Matabeleland Warriors although we went on to win that match. We can’t afford to be inconsistent at this stage of the season because all the hard work we have put in might count for nothing,” he said.
Meanwhile, second-placed Old Georgians dented Matabeleland Warriors’ semi-final hopes with a 61-27 win which ensured the Groombridge-based side remained within touching distance of the log leaders. In another match, Gweru Sports Club eased their relegation worries with a hard-fought 14-12 win over basement side Zvishavane Bulls at McAdams Stadium in the mining town.
