After watching Old Georgians make it as Zimbabwe’s representatives for the 2016 edition of the Gold Cup, project manager Duane Heath feels the Dragons will “do Zimbabwe proud” in the competition.

“Based on what I have seen, I think Old Georgians are going to do Zimbabwe proud in the tournament and I am very excited to work with them.

"I think they will be very competitive but what’s left now for them is to prepare properly especially in terms of conditioning and general fitness.

“The South African sides will be very strong and fit. I am sure now that their (OGs) focus will peak towards the Gold Cup (dates),” said Heath.

The Dragons deservedly partied into the wee hours of Sunday morning after a 39-17 win over rivals Old Hararaians Sports Club at Police Grounds in the battle for the sole ticket.

OGs lost to Harare Sports Club in the Harare Province Rugby League final last year, and the defeat came with a number of lessons for the Dragons as they hardly took a break in the off-season and went on to make good acquisitions.

Under the guidance of former Cheetahs player Grant Mitchell, the Dragons are yet to suffer defeat this year and their off-season sacrifice has finally paid off with the sole Gold Cup ticket going their way.

But OGs captain Kingsley Lang said they knew it would not come easy for the Groombridge-based side.

“It was a very very tough game especially in the first half when OH played tough. We knew they would but we just wanted to weather the storm and stick to our structures and we knew we could get there if we kept playing.

“In the second half it was about cutting on penalties playing in the right areas and our structures helped. We are not only going there (Gold Cup) as OGs but we represent Zimbabwe as a country and we have a lot (of responsibility) on our shoulders.

“We have qualified for the Gold Cup but there is still a long way to go in the league,” said Lang.