Zimbabwe's Sables beat Namibia 36-33 in an international Test at the National Sports Stadium in Harare on Saturday afternoon, holding on after the visitors nearly wiped out a big lead in the second half.

The result was reported by ZBC News, which said the Sables "survived a late fightback from Namibia to secure a thrilling 36-33 victory", and by The Herald, whose photographer Veronica Gwaze pictured the players celebrating at the final whistle.

How the game went

The Sables started strongly. The Herald's live updates had them 19-7 ahead in the first half and 26-14 up at the break, saying they looked "well-drilled" as they dominated. Namibia came back hard after the interval. With 69 minutes played the gap was down to five points at 33-28, and the Welwitschias finished within three.

Try scorers and kicking figures had not been published by the outlets we checked at the time of writing.

"A monumental step forward"

President Emmerson Mnangagwa congratulated the team on X soon after the match. "Holding off a fierce comeback to secure this win right at the wire has made the entire nation immensely proud," he wrote, praising the lineouts and "the decisive tactical kicking under pressure". He called the result "a monumental step forward for Zimbabwean rugby".

Why it matters

The game was the first international rugby at the renovated National Sports Stadium in decades. News.co.zw reported that the last international there was the Sables against Wales on 6 June 1998. Tickets were priced from US$1, according to The Djeuce.

It also ends a long wait for a home win over Namibia. The Namibian Sun noted before kick-off that Zimbabwe had not beaten the Namibians in Zimbabwe since a 27-26 win in Harare in 2001. The Sables' only wins over them since then came at the 2024 and 2025 Rugby Africa Cups in Kampala, the second of them the 30-28 final that sent Zimbabwe to their first Rugby World Cup since 1991.

Coach Pieter Benade, with Hilton Mudariki back as captain after injury, had treated the friendly as serious preparation. "Namibia are a very good side and we are expecting an exciting match which will definitely mean more than a result to us," he told The Herald before the game.

The win comes after a tough run. The Namibian Sun listed defeats to Tonga (26-36), the USA (15-31) and Canada (19-31) at the World Rugby Nations Cup in July.

What's next

The Sables now head to Europe for the next round of the Nations Cup, with matches against Samoa on 7 November, Uruguay on 14 November and Chile on 21 November, The Djeuce reports, citing New Zimbabwe. At the 2027 World Cup in Australia, Zimbabwe are in a group with England, Wales and Tonga.

What we don't know yet

Who scored the tries and points for each side.

The official attendance.

Sources: ZBC News, 24 Oct 2026: https://www.zbcnews.co.zw/sables-hold-nerve-to-defeat-namibia-at-national-sports-stadium/ · ZBC News on X: https://x.com/ZBCNewsonline/status/2114052489943109926 · The Herald on X (full time): https://x.com/HeraldZimbabwe/status/2114024559653613690 · The Herald on X (19-7): https://x.com/HeraldZimbabwe/status/2113990685942862328 · The Herald on X (half time): https://x.com/HeraldZimbabwe/status/2113993862129520947 · The Herald on X (69 minutes): https://x.com/HeraldZimbabwe/status/2114006452645863478 · President Mnangagwa on X: https://x.com/edmnangagwa/status/2114015323745620261 · The Herald, 24 Oct 2026: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/sables-up-for-nss-homecoming/ · Namibian Sun, 24 Oct 2026: https://www.namibiansun.com/sport-wrap-main/sables-relish-namibia-test-in-historic-harare-homecoming-NMH020656-11-25288 · News.co.zw: https://news.co.zw/story/international-rugby-returns-to-nss-after-28-years-3da4bca7 · The Djeuce, 23 Oct 2026: https://thedjeuce.co.zw/articles/sables-namibia-national-sports-stadium-test/