WINDHOEK – Namibian senior and junior rugby teams will this weekend strut their stuff on two separate battle fronts, with the senior Welwitschias set to battle it out against Uruguay in their second match of the ongoing World Rugby Nations Cup on Sunday, while the national junior side will lock horns against Valke in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge.
In the World Rugby Nations Cup underway in Uruguay, Namibia lost her opening match of the competition 25-34 against Argentina and will this Sunday look to bounce back with a possible victory against host nation Uruguay when they meet at the Charrua Stadium in Montevideo.
It will not be an easy task for the World Cup-bound Welwitschias, as Uruguay will also be out to make full use of their home ground advantage and should thus be expected to throw the kitchen sink at the Namibians.
But the Namibian side, which boasts a great assortment of young and experienced campaigners, gave a good account of themselves against Argentina and will Sunday be expected to show the same tenacity, determination and braveness against Uruguay, who are favourites in Sunday’s match.
Meanwhile, the country’s rugby second-stringers, the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias, will also be in action this weekend as they seek to bow out of the SuperSport Rugby Challenge on a high when they welcome visiting South African outfit Hino Valke at the Hage Geingob Stadium tomorrow.
The Namibian youngsters haven’t registered a single win in the ongoing competition and their last defeat came against ISG Puma, who defeated them 106 -0 last weekend. This weekend’s opponents Valke have also not enjoyed a smooth run in the competition, recording only two wins and four losses out of the six games played.
Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president Corrie Mensah has urged the public to come out in numbers and rally behind the boys tomorrow, saying he strongly believes the boys will be able to register their first win come tomorrow.
Mensah feels that the team has improved in defence and scrums in a very short space of time, given the fact that only locally based players were representing the country in the last two matches.
The SuperSport Rugby Challenge has served the local team well in terms of getting game time and has also provided national team head coach Phil Davies with more options in selecting the final squad for this year’s World Cup in Japan.
The Welwitschias squad participating in this competition comprises an assortment of experienced and upcoming youngsters, a blending process that will go a long way in helping shape Namibia’s preparations for the World Cup in Japan.
In a change of competition format from previous years, the SuperSport Rugby Challenge has this year been split into two sections – North and South – with the top two teams from each section progressing to the semifinals. Defending champions, the Pumas, spearhead the North Section alongside the Down Touch Griffons, Leopards, Blue Bulls, Namibia, Golden Lions XV, Griquas and Valke, while the South Section consists of the Free State XV, Sharks XV, SWD Eagles, Western Province, Boland, EP Elephants, Border and Zimbabwe.
The SuperSport Rugby Challenge is the secondary domestic rugby union competition in South Africa, organised by the South African Rugby Union and features all fourteen South African provincial unions plus Namibian side the Welwitschias and Zimbabwe. The inaugural season of the competition was in 2017, set up as the long-term successor of the Vodacom Cup.