Leemisa Thuseho
LESOTHO Defence Force (LDF) rugby side, Liqhomane beat Maseru Warriors 17-10 in the Econet Rugby League final, reclaiming the title they had lost in 2020.
The finals were played at Mabote ground over the weekend.
The weekend victory saw Liqhomane winning their second league title after they first won it in 2019 before they were toppled by the same team last season.
Liqhomane bagged M10, 000.
Meanwhile, Mabote Beavers thrashed Roma Kings by a 42-0 score in the 3rd place pay offs to win the league’s bronze medal.
In an exclusive interview with Lesotho Times, LDF player coach Refuoe Makhasane who is also the club chairman said winning the league was their main target from the onset, therefore they were pleased to have achieved it.
However, he said playing against Warriors in a final wasn’t an easy task as it is always a fight whenever the two giants play.
“We won, but it wasn’t an easy game as we were playing against the defending champions.
“Despite having led the pack throughout the season, Warriors still had a chance to win the league even in the last minute. Therefore, we were out for a fight as we knew they were not going to be a walk over,” Makhasane said.
The weekend win on the other hand saw Liqhomane closing the season in style having won all their game throughout the campaign. Thus Makhasane said it could have been a shame to them to lose the final.
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“We have been winning our games since the start of the season and losing the last game could have been an embarrassment,” Makhasane said.
Makhasane gave credit to the players citing that they didn’t have enough time to prepare for the final but their fighting spirit and determination worked for them.
“Most of our players were working in the security department during the African Union Sport Council Region 5 games and that means we didn’t have proper preparations. But having won against the odds indicates that we have a strong and competitive team,” Makhasane said.
In his part Warriors coach Morapeli Motaung congratulated the new champions and also warned them to watch out for the next season.
“Congratulation to the winners, it is promising to see teams like Liqhomane growing because that contributes to us having a larger pool of competitive players to select our national teams from.
“Finishing second is a huge achievement for us because at the beginning of the season we lost a number of players due to various reasons. So, our team was made up of inexperienced players, but next year we will have a strong team,” Motaung said.
