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| Likatola hoping for more success in 2018... |
Likatola will be making
their first-ever appearance in the tournament which is the third tier of
the annual Africa Cup.
The competition will be contested by
four nations and Lesotho will take on Mauritius in the semis for a place in the
final.
Lesotho, Mauritius, Rwanda and hosts
Ghana are the sides that will lock horns and the tournament has been scheduled
for May 9 to 12 with the winners set to be promoted to the second tier Silver
Cup.
Likatola
booked
their spot in the Bronze Cup last November by winning the Rugby Africa Regional
Challenge for southern nations ahead of Malawi and Swaziland.
The promotion was the high point of Likatola’s rapid rise and now the team
sits on the doorstep of being counted amongst Africa’s top rugby nations.
Lesotho’s rise has been helped by
playing regularly against international opponents.
Last September, the country made its
debut at the International Lusaka Rugby Sevens Tournament. Several weeks later
the Federation of Lesotho Rugby (FLR) hosted the first-ever Maseru
International Sevens at Setsoto Stadium which had visitors from Zimbabwe,
Zambia, Namibia and Mauritius.
The experience has helped boost
Lesotho’s confidence on the international stage but Likatola team manager
Letsielo Mabitle said further improvements still have to be made with the level
of competition set to increase again in Ghana.
“The players have gained confidence by
playing international games; they just have to adjust when it comes to their
level of play, especially against such countries that are very strong
physically. We again have to work on our weaknesses in order to raise our
game,” Mabitle said.
The format of Rugby Africa’s annual
continental competition for its member nations – the Africa Cup – was modified
last year with changes to the names of its three different tiers to Gold,
Silver and Bronze.
·
The
Gold Cup is the tier 1 event and is contested by the continent’s six strongest
teams. In 2017 the contenders were Kenya, Namibia, Uganda, Senegal, Tunisia and
Zimbabwe.
·
The
Silver Cup is the tier 2 tournament and it is made up of four teams. In 2017 it
was contested by Botswana, Ivory Coast, Madagascar and Morocco.
·
The
Bronze Cup is the tier 3 event and is divided into a Group North and a Group
South. Last year the northern group contained Nigeria, Algeria and Cameroon. In
2018 the southern group will comprise of Lesotho, Mauritius, Rwanda and Ghana.
Rugby
Africa Bronze Cup Schedule:
May 9
Semi-finals:
Lesotho v Mauritius
Ghana v Rwanda
May 12
3rd place playoff
Final
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