Leemisa Thuseho
THE Federation of Lesotho Rugby (FLR) president, Fetang Selialia, is optimistic that the newly endorsed Council of Southern Africa Rugby Unions (COSARU) will play a key role in developing the sport across the region, particularly youth and women’s rugby.
COSARU was established in 2023 but only received official endorsement from Rugby Africa and World Rugby last week during its inaugural virtual meeting.
Selialia has been appointed the organisation’s secretary-general, serving under Namibia’s Petrie Theron, who is the chairperson.
Speaking to the Lesotho Times this week, Selialia said COSARU’s mandate was to establish a framework for rugby development in Southern Africa and create new opportunities for African players, particularly young athletes, to compete in regional and continental multi-sport competitions.
As part of efforts to expand competitive opportunities for young players, he said Rugby Africa had approved plans to establish a strategic partnership with the African Union Sports Council (AUSC), alongside an application for rugby to be included in the AUSC Region 5 Youth Games.
“We want to promote the sport in the region, and we have since applied to be part of the Region 5 Games,” Selialia said.
“We will only miss this year’s edition in Mozambique, but in the next edition, rugby will be there.”
He said the regional body would also help bridge the development gap between member countries by encouraging cooperation and the exchange of expertise and programmes.
“We want to close the gap between member countries in the region and even on the continent. Having the likes of South Africa in the organisation will, for example, be vital for countries like Lesotho because we will be able to exchange programmes and learn a lot from them as one of the top rugby-playing countries,” he said.
Selialia said COSARU’s mandate would extend beyond youth development to include resource mobilisation and capacity-building programmes for coaches, referees, match officials and administrators.
“We are also going to foster the development of coaches, match officials and referees. The organisation will also help explore opportunities for technical cooperation, resources and investment,” he said.
He said, although Africa had considerable rugby talent, the continent continued to face challenges in translating that potential into international success because of inadequate structures, investment and long-term athlete development pathways.
“There is a lot that needs to be done to take African rugby to the world. In Lesotho, for instance, our performance at international level shows that there is room for improvement. Initiatives such as the formation of COSARU are an attempt to address these challenges,” Selialia said.
COSARU Region 5 interim executive officers
Petrie Theron – Chairperson (Namibia Rugby)
Farid Pandor – Vice-chairperson (Botswana Rugby)
Fetang Selialia – Secretary-general (Lesotho Rugby)
Mark Alexander – Treasurer (South Africa Rugby)
Cecilia Tresha – Women’s Representative (Zambia)
Herbert Mensah – President, Rugby Africa (Non-voting member)
Paulina Lanco – Rugby Africa EXCO Member (Non-voting member)
