Moorosi Tsiane
THE Federation of Lesotho Rugby (FLR) league is set to roar into life this Saturday at a venue that is yet to be confirmed.
The league was cancelled last season with NUL Spears at the summit of the six-team table as it was interfering with the national team programme.
According to the FLR director, Ntahli Mokete, the league will still see six teams, NUL Spears, Mabote Beavers, Warriors, Giants, Team Liqhomane and new comers The Cannibals fight for the championship until April this year.
Debutants, The Cannibals, will begin their campaign against Liqhomane in the first match while the second match will see two giants, NUL Spears and Giants. Warriors will also play Mabote Beavers to wrap up the day’s fixture.
“We will be back in action next weekend after the league was forced to temporarily go on hold because of the busy schedule of our national teams especially the sevens who were involved in many tournaments from September 2018,” Mokete said.
“We decided to halt the league so that we could come up with a new programme in this new-year.”
Mokete said Swallows have pulled out of the league and were replaced by The Cannibals to ensure there are six teams in the league.
She said the sport is no longer growing in the way that they were expecting and said the biggest challenge remains lack of resources.
“I don’t think six teams are enough but I think it is also fair given the circumstances in our country. In the early stages, this sport received such a positive response and people were joining in good numbers but the challenge always comes whenever it was clear that the teams do not have resources and players and supporters end up losing interest,” Mokete said.
Mokete said, to address the matter, they are also trying to host joint activities with other national federations and hold clinics to take the sport to the communities.
“I believe we will get there. We just need to be patient, we have also been engaging other national federations and hold joint activities because we want to go out and reach out to the people and make them understand that rugby is a sport like any other.
“We are trying and we are hoping that things will work out for us.”
She said they are now working to secure a sponsor for their Top4 tournament which is penned in for April. The league’s top four teams will play in the tournament.
“Top four teams will qualify for the Top4 tournament. We are also trying to source a sponsor for the tournament and we hope that all will have been sorted out by then,” Mokete said.
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