Inexperience cost Vultures

NELSON DIRENG
Correspondent | Thursday July 8, 2010 00:00

 

Gouws stated that the Vultures' side fielded in Zimbabwe was made up of mostly youngsters. He said most of the experienced players were not included in the squad because of injuries. 'This was a setback because the younger players need the experienced guys for motivation,' he explained.

The Vultures finished last after losing 27-14 to Zambia and 84-10 to hosts and regional powerhouse Zimbabwe who won the tournament after beating Madagascar 29-22 in the final. Zambia finished third.

Zimbabwe humiliated Vultures who were disorganised throughout their match on Wednesday.

'Everything went wrong and the players didn't play as well as I had expected,' said Gouws.

He said he is disappointed with the team's performance particularly after high expectations before the players left for Zimbabwe. 'The players found it difficult to get their hands on the ball and missed a lot of tackles leading to Zimbabwe scoring tries frequently,' he said.

The Vultures stood a better chance of winning against Zambia in a match they were always ahead till late in the second half. The problem came after Vultures made a simple tackling error which Zambia fully took advantage of. The situation was made worse after a Vultures' player was sent-off.

Gouws said teams such as Zimbabwe were at an advantage compared to Botswana because their players are in better shape. He said unlike Zimbabwe, Vultures only play about five international games in a year.

Zimbabwe plays international games all year round giving them the necessary exposure.  Zimbabwe has big players while the Vultures consist mostly of players with small frame, who are suited for Sevens rugby. Gouws said they will use last weekend's tournament to correct their mistakes.

He believes the squad can perform better if given more time. 'Most players have been recruited from the development sides and it was their first outing with the national side,' he said. Gouws said with more friendly games and emphasis on body-building, the Vultures can become a better team.

'We also have to concentrate on getting them used to playing as a unit,' he said. The Vultures' next game is against Swaziland in September. The team is scheduled to participate in at least three friendly games against South African clubs before the encounter with Swaziland.