Otniel Hembapu
WINDHOEK – The Windhoek Draught Welwitschias, who last weekend lost 39-7 against Valke in their opening match of 2018 Supersport Rugby Challenge, will this weekend continue their hunt for an elusive victory in the Northern Pool of the popular South African club competition.
The Namibian second stringers will tomorrow take to the field to confront hosts Blue Bulls at the Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria, South Africa. If they are to give their campaign the kind of impetus it deserves, the Welwitschias youngsters will have to regroup, perfect their final touch and demonstrate a bit of durability.
In last weekend’s match, the Welwitschias appeared unfit, disorganised and lacking the required venom to compete at that level, and will this weekend be expected to deliver a much improved performance and hopefully secure a much-needed victory against the very lethal Bulls outfit.
Coach Lyn Jones’s charges will have to be organised, fearless and trust in their own game plan when dealing with a highly technical and tactical team like the Bulls, which is brutally good with ball-carrying skills and their cohesion when attacking is almost close to none.
Namibia endured a tough ride during last year’s edition, with saw the Welwitschias winning only one match from their eight outings in total and will thus this year be expected to deliver a much improved performance while handing various youngsters within the team an opportunity to gain much-needed exposure.
The SuperSport Rugby Challenge is the secondary domestic rugby union competition in South Africa and the long-term successor of the Vodacom Cup competition. The competition is organised by the South African Rugby Union and features all fourteen South African provincial unions plus Namibian side the Welwitschias.
This year, the tournament will again see five teams battle it out in each of the North, South and Central pools, with all 14 unions and Namibia taking part in what promises to be another exciting opportunity for new prospects to emerge and more fans to get the opportunity to see their heroes in action on their doorstep.
Windhoek Draught Welwitschias squad:
Ready for battle… Desiderius Sethie, Obert Nortje, AJ de Klerk, Denzil van Wyk, Ruan Ludick, Cameron Langenhoven, Max Katjijeko, Leneve Damens (captain), Eugene Jantjies, PW Steenkamp, Tuna Amutenya, Darryl de la Harpe, JC Greyling, David Philander, Mahco Prinsloo, Roderique Victor, Hans Breedt, Herman Grobler, Mahepisa Tjeriko, Adriaan Booysen, JC Winkler and Johan Tromp.