The Zimbabwe Sables had the privilege of resting two of their most explosive wingers in Trevor Gurwe and Takudwa Musingwini during the win against the Kenya Simbas.
In a tactical masterclass, coach Piet Benade described as a “horses for courses selection,” Matt McNab started in his first appearance of the Rugby Africa Cup, replacing Gurwe who had started on that wing against Morocco on the opening day.
McNab, a powerful runner and rock-hard defender, kept Kenya’s Griffin Chao at bay for most of the game, with the Kenyan speedster even getting himself a yellow card due to a high tackle on the Doncaster Knights winger.
McNab’s addition to the Sables comes at a time when they are chasing World Cup qualification, and his coach has been happy with his progress.
“Matt had a nice, solid game at wing. He was neat and tidy, [and] he did his job. He’s been a good addition to the squad, a great person who has fitted in well. I am sure he’ll end up playing very many matches for Zimbabwe,” coach Benade remarked after the semifinals.
Although Bruce Houston, the most recent addition to the Sables, featured on the bench but did not make his debut, the coaches are happy with his progress.
“We are going to see how the week goes. Houston is an amazing player; it is a blessing for us to have him on the bench even though he is quite new to the squad,” noted Benade.
The coach was impressed with McNab’s fielding, in a game where he says it came down to territorial kicking, hence deploying the winger in those back pockets.
Coach Benade also had praise for the replacement scrumhalf of the day.
“Keegan, the young 9, played well with Ian Prior. It was just more of a horses for courses selection and we’ll reassess when the final comes, to see if Musingwini or even Gurwe can be added,” Benade concluded.