Ahead of their travel, the Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) will launch a new locally designed kit and new partnerships with sponsors today. Botswana is seeded in Group A with Morocco, Madagascar and Cameroon. The repêchage Group B will have teams that are more highly ranked than those in Group A and the teams will be based in Jemmal, Tunisia. The tournament forms part of the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup qualifiers. The Vultures go into the tournament with their heads held high after picking a win against Lesotho during the preparation stage. But it has not been an easy journey for the team, following their defeat during the 2023 Africa Men’s Sevens. The Vultures' line-up consists of some long-serving players such as Ketshidile Matenanga, Rambo Masalila, and Tafadzwa Ncube.
Team manager, Lydle Warburton, told MmegiSport that the side is ready but the tournament will be challenging. “The players have been committed throughout the training process and have worked extremely hard. We are in the same group as Morocco; they will have the home-ground advantage and we are playing them in the opening match,” she said. Forwards coach, Royal Mwale, said players are adapting to the changes to the game plan. “The players have been following the plan properly and this puts us in a good position to compete against top-ranked opponents like Morocco. Lesotho was an eye opener to help us focus on improving the execution of our plays,” Mwale said. The team will travel by bus to Johannesburg tomorrow and then fly to Morocco on Sunday.
The squad Biggie Takunda Derera (Hogs), Nicholas de Beer, (Buffaloes), Kagiso Setabo (Jaguars), Martin Simon (Cheetahs), Bosenotswe Balopi (Jaguars), Thato Maifala (Rhinos), Mpho Raditlopi (Hogs), Katlego McGann (Hogs), Rambo Masalila (Jaguars), Ketshidile Matenanga (Cheetahs), Thabang Diphera (Cheetahs), Kitso Matija (Hogs), Tafadzwa Ncube (Jaguars), Michael Strauss (Great North), Herbert Nkonjera (Great North), Ishmael Pelaelo (Jaguars), Brandon van Zyl (Hogs), Brandon Rouse (Hogs), James Vambe (Hogs), Adrian Zvarevashe (Hogs), Ben Strauss (Greath North), Letlhogile Tsheko (Jaguars), Tafadzwa Montshiwa (Rhinos), Gofaone Ngande (Rhinos), and Thabang Moepi (Jaguars). Technical team: Andrew Paxinos (head coach), Tshoganetso Katse (assistant coach) and Made Afata (medic).
Fixtures:
November 20 Madagascar vs Cameroon Morocco vs Botswana
