Welwitschias head coach Allister Coetzee yesterday ecstatically admitted the only thing that gave him sleepless nights since taking over as Namibia’s gaffer in June last year was to come up with a grand plan on how he could help the country qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
But after Sunday night’s emphatic 36-0 win over a hapless Kenya in the Africa Cup final, held in France’s Aix-en-Provence, which also saw Namibia automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup, a relieved and equally excited Coetzee described the all-important win as a: “Mission accomplished!”
“Coming here was never easy; knockout rugby is never easy – and especially these kinds of finals are never easy. But we came here and got the job done. I’m very happy with the overall performance of the boys, as the wet pitch conditions didn’t make it any easier for us as well. But I’m proud of the outcome and how we perfectly executed our game plan. It was not easy, and all I can say now is ‘mission accomplished!’ We made it, and I’m glad that the whole Namibian public and Africa can join us in this joy,” said an elated Coetzee.
Namibia, which will see next year’s World Cup marking her seventh consecutive appearance at the global rugby showpiece, will face host nation France, three-time winners New Zealand, Italy and Uruguay in Pool A.
Despite being pooled in a tough group with some of the world’s rugby heavyweights, Welwitschias veteran hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld after Sunday’s match said they will be ready and well prepared to face whichever opponent comes their way at the 2023World Cup.
“We’re not scared at all. It’s always an honour to play a World Cup – not every player plays at a World Cup. It’s a very high standard. It’s going to be hard, but we’re going to work,” the 35-year-old Bayonne forward said.
Welwitschias captain Johan Deysel added that Sunday’s win was a culmination of hard work and dedication.
“We left everything on the field. We had a big build-up to this game, as we knew Kenya are always tough. We had to leave everything on the field today, and we did it,” said Deysel. Namibia will kick off next year’s World Cup campaign against Italy in Saint-Étienne on 9 September before playing three-time Webb Ellis Cup winners New Zealand in Toulouse six days later.
Next up for Namibia is a match against hosts France in Marseille on 21 September.
They will bring their Pool A campaign to a close against Uruguay in Lyon on 27 September. Meanwhile, Kenya’s 2023 World Cup dream is not yet over, as they will now take part in the Final Qualification Tournament in November later this year.
How the action unfolded
The first half was one-sided, with Namibia putting on an incredible amount of pressure to lead 15-0 at the break, despite the strong support of the Kenyan fans in the stands. Despite a serious chance to score the first try shortly after the hour mark – Collins Injera’s foot pushed into touch inches from the line – Namibia extended their lead with successive penalties.
Against a Kenyan side that never gave up, Namibia pushed forward with two tries in quick succession in the last two minutes of the match through Wian Conradie and captain Deysel – just under the posts.
– ohembapu@nepc.com.na