Man, what a day for African rugby. Zimbabwe just pulled off something huge, finally making it back to the Rugby World Cup after like three decades. They took down Namibia in this crazy close game that ended 30-28 at the Mandela National Stadium. Now they're headed to Australia for the 2027 tournament.
It's been a long wait since their last World Cup appearance back in 1991. The Sables were there at the very first one in 1987 too, but then nothing for ages. Beating Namibia is no small thing either - those guys had been to the last seven World Cups straight. Zimbabwe just showed up when it mattered most.
Man, that final was intense from the get-go. Both teams were neck and neck in the first half, tied up at 16-16, but then Zimbabwe came out swinging after halftime and built what looked like a solid lead at 30-16. But Namibia wasn't done—they fought back hard and got within just two points. The whole place was electric in that last minute when Namibia lined up for that long penalty shot that could've won it all, but it just didn't go their way.
Zimbabwe's flyhalf Ian Prior was on fire with 15 points and ended up as the tournament MVP, while Mashawi and Mudzekenyedzi came through with some clutch tries. Now Zimbabwe's back in the big leagues, celebrating hard, but Namibia still has a shot to qualify through a playoff against the UAE. Gotta feel for them after coming so close though.
The Springboks showed Georgia no mercy, racking up a 55-10 win in Mbombela. South Africa looked sharp as ever, flexing their muscle and outplaying Georgia in every way. Newcomer Marnus van der Merwe had a standout game with two tries, giving fans plenty to cheer about as the team gears up for the Rugby Championship.
Meanwhile, the British and Irish Lions edged out the Wallabies 27-19 in Brisbane to kick off their three-game series. They controlled most of the first half, but Australia came charging back after the break, making things way tighter than expected. The game had its share of drama, especially when a potential Wallabies try got called back—definitely a moment that had everyone talking.
Argentina's young rugby squad, Los Pumitas, pulled off an awesome comeback to grab third place at the U20 World Championship. They edged out France 38-35 in a nail-biter down in Italy, getting some payback after dropping their earlier match against the French.
Meanwhile, the All Blacks wrapped up their series against France with another solid performance, taking the final game 29-19 in Hamilton. The French put up a decent fight, but New Zealand just had too much in the tank, cruising to a clean sweep with three straight wins. Not a bad way to finish things off.
Other International Results:
Scotland wrapped up their Pacific tour on a high note, crushing Samoa 41-12 at Eden Park with seven tries that showed just how much they dominated the game.
Over in the Rugby Africa Cup, Algeria took third place by beating Kenya 15-5, which felt like déjà vu since they did the same thing last year in the playoffs.
Senegal and Morocco went head-to-head in a crazy sudden-death showdown for fifth place, with Senegal barely pulling it off 33-28 in what was easily the most intense match of the day.
Meanwhile, Uganda made sure they stayed in Africa's top rugby tier by taking down Ivory Coast in the seventh-place playoff, giving the home crowd something to cheer about.