The Voice (Francistown)
Nelson Direng
20 May 2008
Francistown — Rugby fans gathered last weekend at the Botswana Defence Force Donga barracks to witness BDF Cheetahs wallop Tuskers team by 45 goals to nil in a Rugby Tournament hosted by Ghetto Sharks.
The tournament is an annual event that takes place after the Botswana Rugby Union league is over. Three different tournaments with three different hosts are organised every year, and Saturday, May 10th was the first day of the three competitions.
Eight teams competed in the games that started at 8am until the final, which was played at around 5pm.The teams involved were Sharks (teams 1 & 2), BDF Cheetahs, Gunners, DW (Thebephatshwa), TAB, MCE, and Tuskers.
The aim of the games was to bring together teams that had just completed the BRU national league, held from March to April. It was also to motivate upcoming teams and players as the competition involved teams from both the A and B divisions. The games are also aimed at developing Rugby in Botswana at the 7's level and as a sport.
Giving closing remarks, Captain L. Mogae, the chairman of the Ghetto Sharks, said, "The evidence of the participation of B division teams such as TAB and MCE was fundamental for success of any sports. Prize giving should motivate those who could not be awarded and be looked at as a function for the successful team."
Corporal Simasiku, who was one of the hosting teams' organisers, said that "the games went as planned even though there weren't enough medals for the team that won due to sponsorship. The other problem is that teams such as UB Rhinos and Gaborone Hawks, who were supposed to be in the tournament, decided not to show up at the last minute."
Commenting on his teams' loss, Simasiku said that the reason why they lost is because two of their key players, Ramotshabi and Mmoloki, were injured and couldn't participate in the tournament. He did, however, accept that the Cheetahs were a strong team and because they were well prepared for the tournament, they deserved to win.
Lieutenant G.H.T Jensen and Lieutenant P.K Bome were happy with how the competition turned out.
Jensen pointed out that "rugby in Botswana is a growing sport. The number of spectators who showed up for this event is a clear indication of this. Five years ago in Botswana, rugby was mostly played by foreigners from countries such as South Africa and Zimbabwe but of late a lot of teams in Botswana consist of mostly locals."
Bome agreed, saying, "Evidence of its growth can be seen in government schools as it is now offered as an extra curricular activity."
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