30 Jul 2023

Gaborone Hogs continued their rugby dominance on Saturday, going rampant on Canon Jaguars to successfully defend the rugby title.

When renowned rugby referee Alec Maposa blew his whistle to confirm Hogs as back-to-back 2023 rugby championship winners, no one could have envisaged it would be with a wide margin of 33-10.

With the hype and thrill leading to the final in mind, the game was worthy of the build-up with both team technically balanced and both approaching the game on the back of outstanding runs through the league campaign as well as in the semi-final showdowns.

It was the Hogs nonetheless, who showed more character and tenacity from the onset with a line-up combination of youth and experienced campaigners in their 23-man squad and such combination came to the fore as early as the 10th minute of the game.

Led by their captain Brighton Chinyanya, Hogs were the quickest off the block registering the first try of the game by Godknows Mavara in the opening minutes to register a seven-point lead following the try convention.

In the 20th minute, Hogs’ Outside-Centre James Vambe doubled his team’s lead as he plucked the ball out of the air and made a sole 22-metre run to touch down by the try line to give Hogs a 14-0 leading at half time.

Vambe’s try was vintage performance, which was characterised by a perfect line-out win followed by a drive to the goal line and the nippy Zimbabwean international, who battled hard for his team, was credited with the five-pointer.

Having played on the back foot for most the time, Jaguars had to show their drive too and stepped up a gear in the second half in search of their first points on the board, but their final ball exchange inside the opposition 22-metre line left a lot to be desired as they led to many turn overs.

Hog’s Junior Matlhare and Chinyanya added more woes to the Jaguars’ misery with two quick tries after recess to put the game beyond the Jaguars reach, but the Jaguars ‘never die’ attitude came to play in the final minutes as Tonic Ndoda converted from the penalty spot to give them their only points of the day.

In her post-match interview, Hogs manager Lean Warburton applauded their opponents for giving them great competition all season long.
“It has been a hectic seasons and we are glad that we successfully defended our title, but credit should go to the entire rugby family for a great season despite all the challenges,” she said.

Despite the heavy defeat, Jaguars team manager Feddious Mutenheri expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance.

“I strongly believe that the team showed some courage and played well, the score line should not be much of reference in terms of the overall team performance,” he said.
Meanwhile the UB Rhinos defeated BDF Cheaters 32-27 in the bronze medal playoffs while the BDF ladies were crowned the ladies champions following a 22-5 victory over the Hogs ladies. ENDS