Tensions over rugby 7s tournaments
Calistus Kolantsho | Thursday September 10, 2026 15:32
Gabs 7s International Rugby Tournament organisers are accusing Bokomo 7s arrangers of sabotaging their event. Hogs, who organise the Bokomo 7s, were accused of inviting clubs from South Africa that had been targeted by Gabs 7s, including defending champions University of Pretoria. The organisers were also accused of refusing to register Hogs teams for the tournament. However, Hogs general manager Lynn Warburton denied they had declined to enter Gabs 7s, saying they had simply not yet confirmed their participation because the coaches were still unsure how many teams they would enter. “Their tournament takes place at the end of October, and our coaches will be using the first few tournaments to finalise teams,” she said. The one-day Bokomo 7s tournament gets underway tomorrow at Touch Down Ground in Gaborone. Warburton revealed that 10 different clubs had confirmed participation, with some entering more than one team, including women’s sides. She said they would also welcome Mamelodi Rugby Club from South Africa, as well as the University of Pretoria women’s side. “Our aim for this tournament is to achieve recognition for our sponsor, Bokomo, who have been sponsoring our 7s event since 2016. We also want to provide a fun and exciting day of rugby for the whole rugby community,” Warburton added. She said there would be no prize money, with the winning teams receiving medals and trophies. There will also be a Player of the Tournament trophy in both the men’s and women’s divisions. “I think the standard of our 7s in Botswana has remained consistent, and it is the format in which we get the best level of participation. Planning tournaments is always a fun challenge. “There is a lot to be done in preparation, but we have good systems in place at our club, which makes the process as easy as possible,” Warburton said. Gabs 7s tournament director, Hakim Mabulana, told MmegiSport that losing defending champions University of Pretoria to Bokomo 7s was disappointing, but said it was also an indication that they had made their mark. “It hurts to lose the defending champions, University of Pretoria, but it is an indication that we have set footprints. However, the show must go on,” he said. Mabulana noted that preparations for the third edition of the tournament were going well despite a few hiccups along the way. He said they had a strong team working day and night to ensure the tournament’s success. “Planning an event of this magnitude was never meant to be easy. But we have taken a lot of learnings from the past two editions and are now working through our checklist to make sure that we meet the demands and actually produce a state-of-the-art rugby day backed by entertainment. “We have a lot of needs, including financial injections, hydration, accommodation and logistics, which make up a huge part of our budget. We are therefore appealing to the business community to assist us so that we can realise this dream,” he said. Mabulana revealed that men’s and women’s teams from Botswana, South Africa, Kenya, Lesotho, Zambia, and Zimbabwe would participate in Gabs 7s. He explained that although UB Rhinos gave birth to Gabs 7s, they had ensured that the two entities remained independent of each other whilst still finding ways to support one another. Mabulana said decisions taken by Rhinos did not necessarily affect Gabs 7s, adding that the Rhinos management had decided to put the players first and ensure that they participated in Bokomo 7s. “We are working tirelessly and handling the marketing of the event well. We have had meetings with the Botswana Rugby Union (BRU), and they have endorsed the tournament. We are also in talks with UB so that they can fully assist us with preparations. “One thing we can promise you is that the tournament is going to be bigger than the last two editions,” Mabulana said.