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Home field advantage is valuable in rugby. The Lesotho Stallions will enjoy that edge as they face their more favoured rivals from Swaziland this Saturday (2:30pm local time) at the Bambatha Sports Arena.
This match is pivotal in the 2015 Africa Cup Division 2 South.
Lesotho’s Stallions have suffered a big loss to Botswana (44-3) and split the other two matches against Swaziland. Given that there are only three teams in this division, Lesotho really cannot afford to lose again.
Admission is free, by the way.
Lesotho is a wholly encircled landlocked and remarkably mountainous enclave surrounded by South African territory. My first memory of Lesotho was gained in our VW Kombi as it surmounted a mountain pass named ‘God Help Me’. I remember the homespun blankets of every hue at the border crossing.
It’s not a true monarchy; there is a king, but the prime minister is the effective leader. ‘Effective’ may be too strong a word. There was an attempted coup last year, and the prime minister waited it out in South Africa. He’s back, and so is rugby!
Lesotho is inundated with South African media, so it’s not surprising that rugby is well known. Also, many young people go to school in South Africa.
It’s a poor country, dependent on diamonds as a money-maker, and single resource commonwealths tend to be corrupt. Since gaining independence from the UK in 1966, Lesotho has lagged many other African nations in terms of sustainable development.
One of the biggest sponsors for the Federation of Lesotho Rugby is the Lehakoe Club and Gym in Maseru; a nondescript sports club.
In rugby, Lesotho lags, as well. Unranked by World Rugby and the Africa Cup, Lesotho will need to beat 89th ranked Swaziland (No. 14 in Africa behind Botswana, Nigeria, Mauritius, and Zambia) to move into Africa’s top 16 teams.
Swaziland is under pressure, too. Swaziland rugby union was relegated from Division 1 of the Africa Cup last year, and does not want to languish below Lesotho. Botswana looms (ranked 10th in Africa and 66th in the world).
There are fewer people in Swaziland than Lesotho, but the cities are a tad bit more developed. Cane sugar is the big crop, and unlike Lesotho, Swaziland has a real monarch. He is known as the Lion, and he rules with his mother, the She-Elephant. Swaziland has two borders (South Africa and Mozambique); which allows it to serve as a trading route for some of the least respectable goods.
The Sizeze Eswatini, as the Swazi team is known, has the same vision goal as Australia’s rugby community: ‘Become a top three sport in the country’.
I’ll give the edge to Swaziland this Saturday, given that they boast players named Bud, Bru, Hound, Pedge, and Pug. Oh, and also a guy surnamed Pocock.
But home field advantage in Lesotho is worth five or six points.
In case you are wondering, the top ten African sides are:
1. South Africa
2. Namibia
3. Zimbabwe
4. Kenya
5. Senegal
6. Tunisia
7. Madagascar
8. Ivory Coast
9. Uganda
10. Botswana
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.