Maqonda Ndlovu
Fireworks are expected this weekend in the Women’s Rugby League (WRL) when the derby match between FNB Wanderers and Trustco United women’s teams kicks off at the Wanderers Rugby Fields on Saturday.
This will be the first time in the 102 years of rivalry between United and Wanderers sport clubs that the ladies’ rugby teams will clash in a rugby match. The match also comes at a time when both teams are in top form, with United drawing only once this season, while Wanderers have not lost any match which they have played so far, having forfeited one game against the University of Namibia (Unam Bokkies) at the beginning of the season due to lack of players.
Wanderers coach Janice Beukes told New Era Sport that she is excited to be part of the history-making team and is looking forward to the experience.
“It will be a tight match as both teams will be going all out to prove a point. We will give it our best, even though we started off our season slowly. United have all the experienced players who have been in the game for some time now,” she said.
She added that the team that wants it most and is prepared physically and mentally, will prevail on game day.
Beukes called on sport-loving fans to come in numbers and witness history in the making, adding that rugby is one of the few sports where the size of the players does matter.
“People must not make assumptions about rugby, girls must come and try out rugby and see if they like it,” she concluded.
Her opposite number Greyling Koopman shared the same sentiments, saying the match promises to be a balanced affair.
“I hope there will not be a lot of wind on the day so that the ladies can play beautiful rugby. The women’s game is developing and growing, and the derby will expose the girls to a lot of fans, and they will play beautiful attractive rugby,” he said.
There are currently seven teams playing in the women’s league with Wanderers topping the log with 20 points from five matches ahead of Unam who have 19 points from four games.
Third place is occupied by United with 18 points from four matches, while Kudus have 13 points from five games.
Oceans Rugby Club is fifth with eight points while Rehoboth has four points in sixth and Grootfontein anchors the log with two points from five games.
Meanwhile, William Steenkamp, the operations manager at the Namibia Rugby Union says the union is running the Back to Rugby development programme, which has seen a lot of young boys and girls partaking in the sport at grassroots level.
“We want to introduce the sport to everyone at a very young age. We have big numbers of kids playing the game at schools across the country, that we hope to see continuing until the national team,” he said.
Women Rugby Fixtures for the weekend
Unam Steenbokkies vs Kudus
Rehoboth vs Grootfontein
Wanderers vs United