Lesotho claims silver at Regional Rugby Sevens in Burundi

Likatola captain Samuel Takama...

Lesotho claimed silver at the 2018 Rugby Africa Regional Sevens South tournament on Sunday after falling 15-5 to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the final.

The result, however, wasn’t enough for Likatola to advance to next year’s Africa Men’s Sevens championship.

The four-team Regional Sevens South tournament was held in the Burundi capital, Bujumbura, on Saturday and Sunday.

It featured hosts Burundi, Congo Brazzaville, DRC and Lesotho.

It was one of two regional rugby sevens tournament organised by Rugby Africa in September to select teams to be promoted to the 2019 Africa Men’s Sevens and then contest qualifiers for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

The other tournament was held in Ivory Coast earlier last month and was contested by eight West African nations – Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Benin, Guinea, Niger and Mali.

In addition to being promoted to the 2019 Africa Men’s Sevens competition and the 2020 Olympic qualifiers, the Regional Sevens tournaments represented an opportunity for Rugby Africa’s technical staff to evaluate and scout talent.

On Saturday, Lesotho beat hosts Burundi 45-0 but lost 12-7 to Congo Brazzaville and 26-5 to the DRC.

The results of the first day resulted in Lesotho facing Congo Brazzaville and DRC playing Burundi in the semi-finals Lesotho beat Congo Brazzaville 17-0 to reach the final. However, Likatola fell 15-5 to DRC in the title decider.

Rugby Africa’s Sevens tournament is named “Africa Men’s Sevens” and is held every year to crown an African champion.

Lesotho’s Results:

Day 1:

Burundi 0-45 Lesotho

DRC 26-5 Lesotho

Lesotho 7-12 Congo Brazzaville

Day 2:

Semi-finals:

Lesotho 17-0 Congo Brazzaville

Finals:

DRC 15-5 Lesotho