WINDHOEK – The Namibian senior rugby fifteen, the FNB Welwitschias, as the team is affectionately known amongst its ardent fans, registered their first victory in the 2015 Vodacom Cup at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek on Saturday.
The previously winless Welwitschias defeated the visiting Limpopo Blue Bulls from South Africa by 24 points to 17 in a tightly contested affair.
Speaking to the media after the game, Welwitschias’ captain Darryl de la Harpe said the coach had told them that it was a must-win game and they had no other choice.
“First of all, I should thank the supporters who came out in large numbers to rally behind the team and I am happy that we stood up and got a win today. This shows that our hard work finally paid off. We are now planning on winning all our remaining games,” he said.
The hosts opened the scoreboard in the 11th minute when Johannes Tromp ran in the first try of the match with Shaun Kaizemi duly obliging as he successfully goaled the try to give the hosts a 7-0 lead.
However, the visitors narrowed the deficit through a penalty in the 23rd minute but any hopes of adding to their slender 3-point tally evaporated when the ever present Tromp dotted down his second try of the match with Kaizemi returning the compliment in great fashion 14-3 in favour of the Welwitschias.
The educated boot of Kaizemi added to the tally when the strongly built flyhalf dispatched a penalty neatly through the posts in the 32nd minute to stretch the lead to 17-3.
After the changeover, the visitors came out with guns blazing but a missed penalty kick just after the restart did not help matters and the scoreboard remained intact.
The enterprising Tromp completed his hat trick of tries when he grounded the ball to give the hosts what looked like an unassailable lead 22-3, but the Bulls managed to regroup putting the home side under tremendous pressure, which culminated in managing two tries which were duly converted to set up a nervy end for the hosts.
As the match wore on, nerves eventually got the better of the usually calculated Kaizemi when he misdirected a penalty kick. The triumph was only the second recorded by any Namibian side in the South African provincial second tier competition, the Vodacom Cup, following the 2010 home win against the visiting Falcons, 66-33.
This newly-found confidence demonstrated by the Welwitschias, notably in attack, is almost certain to set up a sweat-shedding clash against the Falcons in a fortnight’s time, before the Namibians finish off their Vodacom Cup campaign against the Leopards a week later.
Namibia is using the Vodacom Cup as preparation for its participation in the International Rugby Board’s Rugby World Cup, which takes place in the United Kingdom in September. – Nampa