In the other battle, defending champions, Gaborone Hogs face BDF Cheetahs for a place in the final. All eyes will be on Wildebeests who have emerged as brilliant newcomers in the league. However, it will not be a walk in the park as UB Rhinos have found their scoring boots and are serious title contenders. A clash between Rhinos and Wildebeests is a close call and it is likely to be won by a tight margin. Wildebeests have caused mayhem in their first season, beating powerhouses like Hogs and Jaguars. Their tail is wagging and they have a decent group of players. For the first time in many years, the league championship is not a one-horse race. Speaking to MmegiSport, Wildebeests coach, Mathews Porogo, said they are going into the semi-finals with minor injuries. “I am aware that most are predicting that we are the favourite to win the title, but you must understand that at the beginning of the year, we did not participate in the BRU Knock Out Cup because we did not have enough players to make a team.
From there the management made a decision that we must compete in the league and they will support us to find enough players to make a team,” he said. Porogo said they went to Gantsi to recruit players and imported four players from Zimbabwe, n amely, Happy Zhou (prop), Marlon Guwuriro (hooker), Scotty Patson (prop) and Admire Shonhiwa (flank). He said they have spent three years without playing the league and coming back, the focus was to participate, not to challenge for honours and being in the top four is a huge achievement. “We are shy to say that we want to challenge for the cup although the management wants it, it depends on the league experience and how long you have played together as a team.
We mostly train together on Wednesdays but some come for training on Thursdays. We are a team that does not train together as a unit,” he said. Porogo said for them it is about finishing well and then preparing for the next season. Hogs head the log table with 30 points from seven outings, with six wins, and one loss to Wildebeests. The Jwaneng-based Wildebeests are sitting in the second spot with 27 points after playing seven matches, with six wins and one loss. Rhinos are third with 23 points from seven matches, with five wins and two losses. BDF Cheetahs occupy position four with 15 points after picking three wins and three losses. The reigning champions, Hogs, cannot be undermined as they know what it takes to win the league and they have been putting in the work. Hogs assistant coach, Vuyisile Moyo, said preparations are going well and they have a full squad.
For his part, Cheetahs spokesperson, Modesto Madzambi, admitted that they qualified for the semi-finals by luck. “We are building a team; it is not easy to compete and build at the same time. But we might pull a surprise. Anything is possible in a game of rugby,” he said. Meanwhile, Shakawe stands a chance to clinch the women’s 10s title. The top three teams in the 10s league, Cheetahs, Rhinos and Shakawe have all accumulated 15 points each from six matches, five wins and single losses. In the Reserve Under-22 league, Hogs boys are in good stead to defend their title. The side leads the log with 13 points after five matches, four wins and a draw. BUAN is second with nine points from five matches, three wins and two losses while Jaguars are in the third spot with seven points from two wins, two losses and one draw.
Semi-final fixtures: Men’s 15s Hogs vs Cheetahs. Wildebeest vs Rhinos
Women’s 10s Cheetahs vs Hogs Rhinos vs Shakawe
Reserve Under-22 Hogs vs Shakawe BUAN vs Jaguars
