Leemisa Thuseho
NATIONAL University of Lesotho (NUL) rugby team, Spears and Roma Kings rugby team have requested a break from all competitions until August this year.
Federation of Rugby Lesotho (FLR) secretary general Litšitso Motšeremeli this weekend said the two teams requested a break from the ongoing Econet Rugby League until August because they were finding it difficult to honour games. The said teams have several students in their teams who must also attend to their academic commitments.
This means the league is only left three teams namely, Maseru Warriors, Liqhomane and Mabote Beavers.
“After discovering the challenge of teams failing to honour fixtures, we met on Thursday and discussed the issue,” Motšeremeli said.
“The major challenge is that NUL Spears as well as Roma Kings have a large number of players who are writing their final examinations.
“The two teams wrote to us requesting to be excused from the competitions until August. This is because even after the examinations, the players will leave the school to their respective homes and they will only be available in August when school re-open.”
NUL Spears has already forfeited two consecutive matches after failing to field a full team against Roma Kings a fortnight ago. The same happened when the team faced Maseru Warriors last weekend.
According to the league regulations, if a team forfeits two consecutive games then it must be suspended.
The same happened to Giants Rugby Team who were last year suspended from the league after forfeiting two consecutive matches. Giants is serving the suspension until the end of this season.
On NUL Spears, Motšeremeli said they resolved not to suspend the team but to instead dock five points. Before the beginning of the league season, the team notified the federation that it would not be able fulfil all matches during examination times. However, the side failed to advise the association of the exact dates. It is for this reason that its points were docked.
“Our intention is not to continue suspending teams but to help them grow. However, if a team fails to honour fixtures and decides not communicate it’s challenges, it is clear that such team is sabotaging the league. Therefore, we must take action.”
On his part, NUL Spears chairperson Reatile Joele congratulated the FLR for approaching the matter with a sober mind. Joele believes continued suspensions will slow down the growth of rugby.
“We have an amateur league and we must work hard to improve it. Being strict on teams at this level will not take us anywhere. We must make decisions that will not tarnish our relationships with our sponsors,” Joele said.