Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) league defending champions Unam will be hoping to redeem themselves from back-to-back defeats at the horns of coastal outfit Kudus this season when they meet in the semi-finals at the Jan Wilken stadium in Walvis Bay on Saturday.
During the first leg, Unam went down 5-20 to Kudus and again 12-34 in the second leg.
Head coach David Philander said that it is going to be a tough test for his charges, given that Kudus will have an advantage as the host team.
However, the coach believes his players have prepared enough and do want the title as much as their opponents.
“They are a good team and if we want to win, that would mean we have to fight for it because they won’t just give victory away like that,” he noted.
“But we are prepared and the team spirit is good. The boys are keen to win this encounter. We want to win and retain the title. We have no injury concerns and we are ready to face them.”
Meanwhile, Gawan Esterhuizen, who is the head coach of Kudus, said the game will be a tough one.
“We have prepared enough for this encounter; the mentality in the camp is good and every single player is excited to win the match. We have had enough training but we are also missing a few key players who are out this weekend due to injury. However, that won’t stop us; we remain ready for this encounter,” he said.
In the second semi-final, Wanderers will take on Rehoboth in another exciting fixture in Windhoek.
Coach Rohan Kristof of Wanderers said that it will be a challenging game as it doesn’t matter the position you finished in the league.
He added that players have all to play for and whoever will be good on the day, is the one to get all the rewards.
“Both teams have got everything to play for. It will now be up to us to prove ourselves on Saturday,” he said.
Meanwhile, in the Reserve Division of the league semi-finals, Wanderers 2 will take on Unam 2 at the Wanderers stadium, and Rehoboth 2 vs Kudus 2 in Rehoboth.
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na