Chile full back Tomas Smits leads a charge against Zimbabwe
Photo: Philip Marshall
20 APRIL 2007
By Ian McFarlane
Zimbabwe survived a second half Chile comeback to secure seventh place in Division B at the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2007 with a 12-10 victory.
Chile could have won the game, but missed a late penalty that would have put them a point ahead.
It took Zimbabwe 10 minutes to open the scoring as wing Rangarirai Zembe showed great strength to burst through the final tackle following a Zimbabwe counter attack from deep in their half.
Chile hit back on 27 minutes when centre Francisco Gonzalez kicked a penalty, but Zembe added a second try near the end of the half when he took a brilliant inside line to score under the posts.
The move had looked over when a pass went astray but the ball was picked up and spread wide to give Zembe the opportunity to use his pace to score, with Tichafara Makwanya adding the conversion to give Zimbabwe a 12-3 half time lead.
The move had looked over when a pass went astray but the ball was picked up and spread wide to give Zembe the opportunity to use his pace to score, with Tichafara Makwanya adding the conversion to give Zimbabwe a 12-3 half time lead.
In the second half Chile closed the gap through a try from Gonzalez who intercepted a stray pass to speed in under the posts. Gonzalez also added the conversion to close the gap to just two points with 16 minutes left to play.
The closing stages were very tense and both sides had opportunities to add to their scores, with Chile on top for most of the remaining time.
Their pressure culminated in a penalty opportunity from wide out on the right with only a few minutes to play, but Gonzalez saw his kick return off the crossbar to the relief of Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe’s defence managed to hold out despite more Chile pressure in the last few minutes to secure seventh place.
QUOTES
Zimbabwe captain Andrew Rose: “We are so chuffed with the result, we had to win today after coming so close on so many occasions and it is just fantastic. Our supporters were amazing throughout the tournament and today they were superb.
“This tournament has been great for us and we have really enjoyed it. It has given us an opportunity to show the world who we are and that we have not disappeared from the world.”
Zimbabwe head coach Godwin Murambiwa: “I put a little extra pressure on the boys to perform for me today and they really did, it is great to get a win after so many close games and we will remember this game for a long time.
“A lot of our players will return to these shores in the future to play and this has given them a great opportunity to display their talents.”
Chile captain Benjamin Del Solar: “I am so disappointed, I think that we played well, but failed to take our opportunities when they came to us. We could have scored more tries and this would have changed the game. I have enjoyed the tournament; it is great to get an opportunity to play in such a prestigious tournament.”
Chile head coach Rodrigo Boye: “I am proud of the heart that our boys showed today and throughout the tournament, but it is so disappointing to lose such a close game. We will be able to build on this for the future and cut out the mistakes that cost so much in this level of rugby.”
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