As the Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) League crosses the halfway mark, the weekend’s action delivered decisive outcomes, none more striking than the Gaborone Hogs’ commanding 41–0 victory over Great North. The result cemented the Hogs’ place at the top of the men’s table with 19 points after five games, while Great North continue to search for their first win.
Despite the tough loss, Great North Rugby Team’s head coach, Batshabeng “Bucks” Keopetswe, remained composed and realistic about the performance.
“Rugby is a game of making few errors, and we made a lot of mistakes we were punished for that,” Bucks said. “We missed so many tackles, and it was the difference on the day. We never really kicked off and struggled structurally, especially since we had no regular front row players and had to improvise.”
Great North, currently tied at the bottom with BU Ryders on just two points, struggled to contain a well-structured Hogs team. According to the coach, scrums and handling errors were their Achilles heel.
“We struggled with basics — scrums and handling errors were too much,” he admitted. “The plan now is to ensure we spend more time working on the structure of our game and ball handling. Away games are never easy for us as we tend to struggle with securing regular starters.”
Still, Coach Bucks saw glimmers of hope in his squad’s resilience.
“I’m happy and grateful that our boys travelled and honored the fixture — that’s a positive gesture,” he said. “The boys tried their best as a collective, especially in the last 20 minutes. The loose forwards started to make runs, and the lock partnership between Edmond Keemetsekgosi and Calvin Molamu is something to keep for the future.”
As the team regroups for the next round, Bucks remains committed to building from the foundation they’ve laid.
“We never give up, and we will not start now,” he emphasized. “As a coach, it means I have to get strategies and plans going. In all this, I would like to thank Letaka Safaris for their generous sponsorship of the travel. It’s such a great feeling for the boys.”
While on the other hand, in the men’s division, the Gaborone Hogs lead with 19 points, narrowly ahead of the unbeaten Jwaneng team on 18 points with a game in hand. BDF Cheetahs and UB Rhinos are tied on 15 points, making the race for top four intense.
In the women’s division, BDF has asserted clear dominance, winning all five matches and boasting a points difference of 119. Meanwhile, Hogs and UB are tied on six points, though UB has two games in hand.
The reserve league also saw the Hogs maintain a perfect record, overpowering their opponents with an impressive point difference of +89 in just two matches. With more action to come, fans across Botswana can expect the BRU League to deliver even fiercer clashes as teams push toward playoff contention — and for others, pride.
