Botswana’s men’s national rugby team will attempt to pull off a significant upset this Saturday when they face the heavily favored Zimbabwe in the Sables’ home territory.
This challenging match pits the Vultures, currently ranked 77th globally, against a Zimbabwean side sitting at 26th in the world rankings. Despite the considerable difference in ranking, optimism was high within the Botswana camp as the 24-man squad departed for Harare this morning, Friday, marking the country’s first international fixture of the year.
In a brief interview with Voice Sport, Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) Vice President Technical, Elijah Kokoro, described the upcoming game as the beginning of a new era for rugby locally. “Playing an established team like Zimbabwe is a major step forward. It’s part of our strategy to keep The Vultures active within the region. These kinds of matches will not only boost our players’ confidence but also contribute to our rise in the international rankings,” Kokoro explained, adding that the experience of competing against established professionals will greatly benefit Botswana’s players in the future.
As part of their preparations for this international clash, Botswana hosted the South African side, Sibanye Stillwater Club, two weeks ago, losing 18-7 to the team from Rustenburg. This marked The Vultures’ first competitive match in nearly four months.
“Last November, the team played two test matches in Morocco during the Rugby Africa Cup qualifiers, where we lost the first game to Morocco and secured a victory against Cameroon. Before the Morocco games, we played a test match against Lesotho in Jwaneng in September, which we won,” Kokoro recalled.
The Zimbabwe encounter will be the first of several as Botswana builds towards the BOLESWA Tri Series Tournament, scheduled to take place in Lesotho in September and also featuring Eswatini alongside the hosts.
Tomorrow’s game is set to kick off at 14:30 at the Harare Sports Club, as the Vultures aim to sink their talons into The Sables and dismantle a team ranked 51 places above them.
