Moorosi Tsiane
THE Federation of Lesotho Rugby (FLR) will on 28 August to 1 September 2019 host the Rugby Africa Central Sevens Tournament at a yet to be confirmed venue.
The tournament will see countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville, Burundi and Gabon battle for points to improve their African rugby rankings.
According to FLR public relations officer Morapeli Motaung, this comes after Congo Brazzaville, which was initially meant to host encountered some problems and pulled out.
“We were presented with the chance to host after Congo Brazzaville pulled out and we accepted the offer,” Motaung said.
He said the offer will present the local teams with a home advantage at the tournament.
“This is a good opportunity for the country since we are new to this format of the sport. We are only two years old and getting such a chance this early means a lot.
“However, our players will also enjoy the home advantage which will play a huge part in their performance. It is also important that our team wins the tournament because it will also increase our chances of getting world rugby recognition as we are still on probation.
“Last year we attended the same tournament in Burundi where we lost in the final against Congo Brazzaville and we hope this year we will player better,” he said.
This will be the second Africa Rugby tourney Lesotho be hosting after last year’s 15 aside tournament.
“We hosted a very successful Africa Rugby tournament featuring the likes of Malawi and we just need to ensure that this one succeeds because it will make both Africa and World Rugby to notice that we are indeed ready,” Motaung said.
