Likatola ready for Vultures test match

… a chance to rewrite history

NTHAKO MAJORO

MASERU – As the days inch closer to September 28, the anticipation for Lesotho’s senior national rugby 15s men’s team, Likatola, grows by the minute. The team is preparing to face off against Botswana’s national team, the Vultures, in a test match that holds more significance than just a victory or a loss. For Likatola, this is a chance to rewrite history, to overturn the painful defeats that have shadowed their previous encounters with the Vultures.

Likatola’s journey with the Vultures began in 2014 when the two teams met for the first time in Gaborone, Botswana. That match ended in a crushing 43-3 defeat for Likatola, a loss that still stings in the hearts of the Lesotho rugby community. Two years later, the teams met again, this time on Lesotho soil at the Bambatha Tšita Sports Arena. Unfortunately for Likatola, history repeated itself, and the Vultures triumphed once again, this time with a 41-5 score-line.

These defeats have left Likatola hungry for revenge, eager to finally claim victory over their southern rivals. In the lead-up to this crucial test match, Likatola have been ramping up their preparations. Their commitment to turning the tide was evident two weeks ago when they travelled to the Free State to face the Toyota Cheetahs, one of South Africa’s rugby giants.

Although the Cheetahs fielded their amateur side, it was still a formidable challenge for Likatola, who fought hard but ultimately lost 31-10. Despite the defeat, Likatola’s head coach, Realeboha Segoete, views the match as a vital stepping stone in the team’s preparation. “The match against the Cheetahs was crucial for us,” Segoete said during an interview with Public Eye. “We knew that playing against a strong team like the Cheetahs would help us assess our readiness for the upcoming test match against Botswana. Once the Botswana Rugby Union gave us the date for the Vultures match, we planned the Cheetahs game carefully, ensuring that there was enough time to return to the drawing board, make corrections, and prepare properly.”

For Segoete and his coaching staff, the match against the Cheetahs served as more than just preparation; it was a litmus test for the 35 players he had called up for the Botswana match.

Of those 35, Segoete used 29 in the Cheetahs game, leaving a few key players on the side-lines due to injuries sustained in league matches just a week prior. “We did not use all the players,” Segoete explained. “Some are senior players whose abilities I am already familiar with, while others could not be fielded because of injuries. Unfortunately, three more were injured during the Cheetahs match, which added to our list of injuries. In total, we now have seven players recovering, but two of them are back in training, and another will rejoin us this Saturday.”

Despite these setbacks, Segoete remains optimistic. The Cheetahs match, he said, was not just about winning but about assessing the players and making necessary adjustments before the big showdown with the Vultures.  “It was a very physical and high-intensity match, as we expected. But that was exactly what we needed to push our players to their limits and see where we need to improve.”

One of the key areas where Likatola struggled was in the lineouts, winning only 23 percent of the balls.  Segoete said: “We have a few weeks left to fine-tune our strategies and ensure that we are ready to compete at the highest level.”

The coach is set to announce his final squad for the Vultures test match on September 15, giving the team ample time for focused training and final preparations before heading to Gaborone.  While there were mistakes in the Cheetahs match, Segoete is confident that his team is moving in the right direction.

“Overall, I am happy with the team’s performance, despite the mistakes that cost us the game, including missing two tries due to a lack of composure. But we are working on it, and I believe we will be in a much better place by the time we face Botswana.”

One of the challenges Likatola faced in the Cheetahs match was the lack of cohesion among the players, something Segoete attributes to limited training sessions leading up to the game. “We only had three sessions before the match, so our players did not have enough time to gel as a team. Now that we have had more time together, I’m confident that we will see a much-improved performance against the Vultures.”