Rédaction Africa Links 24 with lexpress
Published on 2024-03-28 02:40:00
The Ladies Makis rugby sevens team have returned home after participating in the 13th edition of the African Games, which ended on March 23 in Ghana. They won the silver medal, losing heavily to Uganda by a score of 0-29. Two players, Claudia Rasoarimalala, the captain of the national team, and Marie Christine Bodonandrianina, agree that in addition to the superiority of the Ugandans, fatigue affected them in the last match, which was played as the final between the two teams.
Defeated at the last moment by Ghana in their second match, the Ladies Makis had no room for error to win the gold medal at the African Games.
Unfortunately, they were unable to overcome the unbeaten Ugandans, who dominated the competition in the absence of the South Africans.
Claudia Rasoarimalala explained the defeat of her team against the Ugandans, saying, “Without absolving ourselves of our defeat, I dare say that at the beginning of the match, both teams were evenly matched. After the Ugandans opened the scoring, we tried to react, but physically, we were far behind. For the last day, we played three matches, while the Ugandans only played two.”
And as for Marie Christine Bodonandrianina, the team’s fly-half, she explained that “since the 2022 World Cup, Uganda has made some modifications to their national team. Technically and physically, they are at the top of their game and used to playing in hot conditions. On our side, we suffered from the sweltering heat, and the three matches of the day took a toll on us physically. But regardless, winning the silver medal is a beautiful and unforgettable reward.”
Antsoniandro Andrianorosoa, the National Technical Director of Malagasy Rugby, provided a rational explanation for Madagascar’s defeat against Uganda. “Physical stature is not an excuse, as it is our morphology. We need to compensate in other ways, but we failed in terms of power. We only have two months to prepare. In my opinion, what Malagasy players, as well as the male players, lack is the culture of preparation. We need to prepare every day, without waiting for training camps, to stay in shape. Sevens rugby tournaments need to be scheduled, and if possible, a national sevens rugby championship should take place. However, financially, this will be very difficult, due to a lack of spectators.”
Read the original article(French) on lexpress.mg
