Likatola eye first win over Botswana

Leemisa Thuseho LIKATOLA coach, Khauhelo Raphepeng, is targeting a historic first victory over Botswana when Lesotho’s senior men’s national rugby team compete at the 2026 BOLESWA Tri-Nations Tournament in eSwatini later this month. The tournament, which rotates among the participating countries, will run from 24 to 31 October and feature the senior men’s national teams of Lesotho, eSwatini and Botswana. According to the fixtures, hosts eSwatini will face Lesotho in the opening match, before Likatola take on Botswana in their second encounter. The tournament will conclude with a clash between eSwatini and Botswana. Last year, Lesotho hosted the competition as a World Rugby-sanctioned Test Series. However, Botswana withdrew at the eleventh hour for undisclosed reasons, leaving Lesotho and eSwatini to contest a single match, which the hosts won 34-12. The upcoming tournament will provide Raphepeng with his second major test since his appointment in March 2025, as he seeks to build a competitive side capable of challenging the region’s established teams. Likatola have been working hard in preparation for the tournament, with the coach setting his sights on both the title and ending Botswana’s dominance over Lesotho. “For me, it is always about winning the tournament. We will be out to win,” Raphepeng told the Lesotho Times this week. “We have never beaten Botswana, so this time we will be hoping to end their dominance and record our first win, as that is part of our mandate. Should we be successful, that will be a huge achievement.” Lesotho last faced Botswana in an international friendly in Botswana in September 2024, when Likatola suffered a 37-15 defeat. Raphepeng, however, acknowledged that a lack of regular competitive action remained one of the biggest obstacles to the team’s development, alongside the ongoing effort to establish a distinct playing identity. “On top of that, we continue to struggle with a lack of game time. We are also still trying to build our own playing identity and philosophy as a growing rugby nation,” he said. For the eSwatini assignment, Raphepeng plans to blend experienced campaigners with emerging talent as he seeks to build a squad capable of competing across the tournament. “We are going to take a mixture of experienced and young players. I am happy with the group we have assembled, but, to be honest, there are some players we would have loved to have in the team who are unavailable due to personal commitments,” he said.