Rugby final: A clash of the army and students
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday September 9, 2016 14:24
From the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) headquarters in Mogoditshane, a strong army would be deployed on a mission to Wharic Park while from across town ‘The Students’ from the University of Botswana are expected to stop the contingent of army men. BDF Cheetahs are the Goliath while UB Rhinos come in as David.
Super League was introduced this year with the top four teams going into a round robin competition, which ran for six weeks.
The four teams were Gaborone Hogs, BDF Cheetahs, Canon Jaguars and UB Rhinos. Rhinos and Cheetahs occupied the top two positions while Hogs and Jaguars went straight into a play-off.
Cheetahs qualified for the final after winning five matches out of six. The army side accumulated 23 points after going unbeaten with only one draw. Cheetahs had 127 points conceding 49 in the process and received a single bonus point. Rhinos made it through by winning three matches out of six, losing three during the campaign. The side scored 124 points, conceding 110, getting three bonus points and finishing with 15 total points.
The two clubs’ brief history:
Cheetahs
The club was formed in 2000. The first coach to take the reigns was Zilwele ‘Zee’ Khumalo who took the team all the way to its first league title in 2003. Cheetahs changed coaches in 2006 when Gareth Gilbert was thrown into the deep end. He did not waste time as he won the league the same year. The side went on to win the league for two consecutive seasons in 2007 and 2008. A dry spell followed until 2013 when they grabbed the title again under Moroke Moroke.
Cheetahs spokesperson, Modesto Mazambe told Mmegi Sport they went into the campaign with a winning mentality.
“When we started, the plan was to fight for the top four slots and we succeeded. We decided to give youngsters a chance to prove themselves and one of them is Keorapetse Lesotho who scored four tries against Hogs,” said Mazambe.
He said they are aware that Rhinos are dangerous on set-pieces being line-outs, rags and scrums. He said Rhinos have weak back-line, but their forwards are dangerous. Mazambe said the pressure is on Cheetahs because they have to continue their winning streak.
Team colours: Red, green, black and white
Home ground: SSKB Stadium
Coach: Seabe ‘Shine’ Gabatladiwe
Rhinos
The club was formed in 1997 and has tasted league success on two occasions in 2010 and 2014. Rhinos chairperson, Thatayaone Malele is a man beaming with confidence. He said qualifying for the final is a big achievement as they have lost a number of their best players to other teams.
“We lost 11 players to Jaguars and one to Hogs and four senior players retired at the end of last season, all of them highly influential. It is inspiring to have rebuilt and got to the final again within a year after missing out last year,” said Malele.
He said they are going into the clash as underdogs and dark horses are never under pressure. Malele observed that Cheetahs have been playing the best rugby in the second round.
He said they have already lost twice to Cheetahs this season and the favourites would look to continue.
“They are under pressure to keep up the winning spree. But they know from the last game they played us which they won 14-11 that it is not easy going,” he said.
He pointed out that Cheetahs are very good with the ball in hand, but once they are denied the ball, they cannot play. He said that is their plan for tomorrow.
“We are going to dominate all set pieces (line-outs and scrums) and all contact zones. We also plan to improve our defensive system to ensure their big runners do not break our defence lines,” said Malele.
Team colour: Lime green, sky blue, black and white
Home ground: UB Stadium
Coach: Mooketsi ‘Mox’ Ramakele