Vultures rediscover winning formula
Calistus Kolantsho | Friday November 6, 2026 12:40
However, the team subsequently endured a difficult spell, struggling to maintain its winning momentum and slipping down the global rankings. Botswana currently sits 76th in the world and 12th in Africa.
But the Vultures appear to have rediscovered their winning formula after being crowned BOLESWA Tri-Nations champions at the Prince of Wales Stadium in Mbabane, Eswatini, last weekend. Botswana opened its campaign with a 52-5 demolition of Lesotho, taking a 19-0 lead into the break. The Vultures then dispatched hosts Eswatini 28-0 to seal the championship title. The BOLESWA Tri-Nations is a Rugby Africa zonal 15-a-side competition bringing together three Southern African countries: Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini. It is structured as a round-robin tournament, with each team facing the other two during the competition window.
Vultures coach, Tshoganetse ‘Shakes’ Katse, said hosting duties rotate amongst the three participating nations, with Botswana set to stage the next edition.
He explained that the competition is designed to provide teams with more international Test match exposure and establish a consistent competitive platform outside the main Rugby Africa Cup calendar.
“Regarding the team, we have been building this side for the past three years and are happy with its performance.
Winning this title improves our continental standing and gives us a chance to play countries ranked higher than us,” he said. However, Katse admitted that preparations fell short of expectations, as the team did not play a single friendly match ahead of the tournament. Botswana had been scheduled to face Zimbabwe twice, but the fixtures failed to materialise. “Remember, Zimbabwe has qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The plan was to play against their home-based players. It would have been good preparation for us, not necessarily because we expected to win, but to fine-tune our combinations,” he said. Despite lifting the BOLESWA title, Katse said Botswana were aware that they were operating at a higher level than Lesotho and Eswatini, having enjoyed several friendly matches last year and remaining prepared for competitive assignments.
“Our level is alongside countries such as Zambia and Cameroon. We wish to play against those countries. We are just wondering what happened to the Africa Rugby competitions,” he said.
Katse recalled that Botswana beat Cameroon three years ago and had expected to remain in the same competition pool, with Cameroon relegated and another country promoted to Pool C.
He said Rugby Africa subsequently introduced a different competition format, partly to cushion participating nations against the costs of travelling.
Meanwhile, Katse expressed disappointment with the tournament’s hosting standards, citing shortcomings in food, accommodation and the playing surface. He said the Vultures were particularly motivated to beat Eswatini by a big margin following what he described as poor hosting.
In another development, Botswana Rugby Union (BRU) president, Farid Oupa Pandor, has been appointed interim vice-chairperson of the AUSC Region 5 Rugby Committee following engagements with Rugby Africa.
The regional rugby committee’s headquarters will be based in Gaborone.