Hogs came into the match with a mission to prove a point after losing to Rhinos during the Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) Knock Out Cup final. The match started with the hosts showing intention to run away with the match, and they were awarded a penalty early into the game. Fly half, Banjo Kesianye, put his side on the driver’s seat and went on to score the rest of Rhinos penalties. Hogs found their footing in the highly charged match and the number eight, Brighton Chinyanya, crossed three times and full back, Godknows Mavara, conversions were on target to cement Hogs win.
Speaking to SportMonitor after the match, Hogs backline coach, Vuyisile Moyo, said they worked on their mistakes ahead of the game looking at how Rhinos beat them during the Knock Out Cup final. “We won the game in the first half and that was our main game. Second half we just wanted to maintain the lead. Of course Rhinos scored first but it was too early in the game. I always teach my players to stay calm and not worry about the score. We trust our process, it has been tried and tested for years,” he said. Moyo said they gave a lot of penalties during the match and that is something they should avoid in the future. For his part, Rhinos coach, Shakes Katse, said the game plan was to kick the ball a lot, it worked but sometimes it did not work. “We knew they will come to us full force and we wanted to frustrate them by kicking the ball to the corners. At first the plan worked, forcing them to play from the outside. We were awarded a penalty try. It was unfortunate that we gave them a lot of freedom to play,” Katse said.
The teams: Rhinos: Adrian Mbiriyaruka (loosehead), Katlego Mangwai (hooker), Kitso Maduo (tight head prop), Shaka Khani (left lock), Ntebogang Mathaka (right lock), Kutlo Batsile (left flanker), Wabona Motingwa (right flanker), Kaelo Mogotsi (number eight), Thabiso Dintwe (scrum half), Kesianye (fly half), Popo Maswabi (left wing), Gape Monei (left center), Tafadzwa Montshiwa (right center), Wame Mantsi (right wing) and Tonic Ndoda (full back).
Hogs: Eleazar Ndlovu (loosehead), Mpho Raditlopi (hooker), Biggie Derera (tight head prop), Enrique Chawanda (left lock), Denzel Dhlamini (right lock), Wilfred Office (left flanker), Kitso Matija (right flanker), Chinyanya (number eight), Koketse Galetshetse (scrum half), Munashe Kamunda (fly half), Mpho Ramorweenyane (left wing), Adrian Zvarevashe (left center), James Vambe (right center), Owen Vaja (right wing) and Mavara (full back).
