The Jaguars mauled the Cheetahs

Hunting the Botswana Rugby Jungle: A word of advice to my Jaguars

By Feddy Mutenheri

Sunday, March 26, 2017

What a coruscate match that was, Canon Jaguars vs BDF Cheetahs. The BRU Knockout rugby Final lived to its billing – The Big Cat Fight. The Jaguars mauled the Cheetahs.

An intense game described by many as something that has not been experienced in Botswana rugby in recent years. It was tactical, the two opponents very wary of what the other was likely to throw at them. This is not my story this week, but let me indulge in it for a bit and then I will revert to my mission for this weeks edition.

For the Cheetahs, they expected the Jaguars to be kicking the ball deep into their territory, which they did. They consistently kept almost five man in their 22, each time in defense in anticipation of that kick. In open play they expected the Jaguars to run out wide and they had a plan to counter that. They almost trapped the Jaguars into reacting to their defense pattern instead of following their game plan which was to play narrow. On the other hand the Jaguars expected a bullish Cheetahs at all the breakdowns. At the scrum the Jaguars expected the Cheetahs to use size, push them off and force them to be penalized. The Jaguars countered that by bringing in sizable forwards and a quicker hooker. The call was not to keep the ball in that scrum for a split second. They expected a brutal battle at the rucks. Like their rivals, they also expected the Cheetahs to kick the ball into their 22 to force them to make mistakes. BDF were to unveil their new jumping lock, kaura Kaura, himself a ‘run-away Jaguar’ (pun intended), to dominate at the line-outs – that was expected. Above all they expected BDF to use their experience to frustrate them throughout the game. In the end all these tactical expectations yielded an intensely played first half where the teams were only separated by 6 points out of the three penalties conceded in favour of the Jaguars. I’m not intending to coddle in the nitty gritty of that game, suffice to say bookmakers and journalist have a lot to write about it.

The support during the game was very overwhelming. Close to a thousand people were watching the game (unverified reports). For the Jaguars, it was their sizable crowd of thunderous and vociferous supporters who kept urging their team through their now traditional singing. The rest of the audience watched the game in silence for most of the game until in the second half when Cheetahs scored a try and went ahead of the Jaguars. It seemed like the whole stadium leaped to celebrate at the prospect of Jaguars losing the game. All along the ‘sleeping supporters’ for the Cheetahs were woken up.

This is where my story of the day is.

Very few if any expected or even wanted Jaguars to win apart from their hopeful and passionate supporters. For the simple reason that those who are sympathetic to the ‘big” teams such as UB, Hogs and BDF could not stomach the fact that newcomers, Jaguars, could so early be claiming championship in this rugby terrain. Worse still, Jaguars is a team of young and inexperienced players. Those who normally would pat the Jaguars in the back and urge them forward do so with a pinch of caustic remarks. The point being that it will take them some time before they can claim a stake in the rugby terrain in Botswana.

All this parody is a call to WAKE-UP for the Jaguars. No one is going to treat you with kid-gloves in this game. You have to work your way through, prove to everyone that you are ready to conquer. You will not be cry-babies hoping that referees will be sympathetic to you - NO. The rugby Fraternity will judge you by the passion, the discipline, respect and sportsmanship that you bring to this game. You will have to prove that you are in this game to win it. You will have to touch the hearts of the supporters out there for them to enjoy watching you. You have to work the extra mile for the National Team selectors to start even thinking of calling you up. They will judge you by your understanding of the core values of rugby and of course your determination to win. Only then can you conquer the Rugby Jungle.

Carry the mentality and the behavior of the Jaguar. Prove that you are the bigger and better cat than the Cheetah - the league presents you with this opportunity. As for the Hogs and the Rhinos time will have to tell if, literally speaking they can match the power of growing predator – The Jaguar or they will have to be served as supper on the 9^th of September when the final is played.