18 Mar 2024

UB Rhinos pulled off an upset on Saturday defeating Gaborone Hogs 10-7 in a bid to be crowned rugby’s pre-season knockoff tournament champions.

In what was poised to be a ‘gloves off combat’ the anticipation and adrenaline rush filled up the Wharic Park, Saturday as two of rugby’s old foes met for a colossal battle to determine the favourite going to the league restart in a fortnight.

An uphill battle awaited Rhinos who went into the finals with an underdog tag behind their status but they were nonetheless comprehensively the better side on the day.

A sign not only of their remarkable growth in a short space of time this year under Tshoganetso ‘Shakes’ Katse, they also demonstrated their intent to transform into a force to be reckoned with this coming season.

Led by captain Tafadzwa Montshiwa, the youthful Rhinos raced out of the blocks in the first half of the game and drew first blood with a try and conversion leading the experienced Hogs 10-0 going into the half-time break despite ending the half with 13 players on field due to yellow cards accumulations.

Despite being under tremendous pressure from the restart of the second half, the wide passes and bulldozing runs were still there but so was the level of pragmatism from Rhinos who miraculously managed to keep the Hogs away from their 22 line for the majority of the game.

The Hogs persistent pressure on the Rhino’s defence finally paid off with only 20 minutes left in the clock as they were rewarded with a try and a convention to cut the deficit to only three points.

Tlotlang Moreeng and Paul Motingwa were outstanding on the day and the Rhinos pack muscled up at the breakdown to lay the platform for a deserved win that put smiles on the faces of their rugby fans after a miserable year of poor results.

As for the Hogs, the Saturday final was a brutal affair as they were consigned to their first loss in many outings as they have been a dominant force in rugby cycles.

As the league is bound to start shortly, the onus is entirely on the Rhinos to build on their impressive preseason run to try and dethrone the Hogs who have been a dominant force in local rugby over the years.

Speaking in a post-tournament interview, Botswana Rugby Union development manager, Zee Khumalo commended all teams for taking part in the tournament and the organising committee for producing a great tournament.

 “It has been a wonderful pre-season tournament, which produced some of the most memorable events and we are hoping to build on the success of the tournament going into the league,” he said.

Khumalo said it was impressive that fitness level was up to standard across all teams despite the lengthy break from active rugby.

 He said the union was impressed with the development of rugby in the country and was keen to take the sport to greater heights.  ENDS