ZIMBABWE were trounced 33-0 by a forceful Spain in the Shield final of the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens rugby tournament in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, on Sunday.
Report by Kuda Mangoma Sports Reporter
The painful defeat followed a valiant effort that had produced a 21-14 victory over Scotland in the semi-final.
Two first half tries from Pedro Martin, the season’s top tryscorer with 16, gave the Spaniards a prime advantage over Zimbabwe and put them on track to a second trophy of the season.
Going into the second half with the scoreboard reading 12-0, Zimbabwe would have liked to score early in order to prevent the game running away from them. It was not to be.
Spain’s Ignacio Martin scored and converted a try shortly after both teams introduced several substitutions.
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Angel Lopez and Jaike Carter registered on the score-sheet while the Zimbabwe Cheetahs were stuck searching for any points, albeit for consolation. Later in the day, which was coach Gordon Tietjens’ 57th birthday, the ever-dominant rugby nation, New Zealand, beat France 47-12 in the Cup Final, their fourth South Africa Sevens title in a row.
The “Blitzbokke” took third place in the tournament with an impressive 35-0 triumph over Argentina as Wales and Australia won the Plate and Bowl finals respectively.