Otniel Hembapu
Windhoek-Namibia’s rugby fifteen, the Welwitschias, on Saturday defeated the Cranes of Uganda 48-24 at the Legends rugby field in Kampala to stretch their lead atop the six-team Africa Rugby Gold Cup log table to 20 points.
Namibia, who maintain a strong grip on the Africa Gold Cup proceedings, are closely followed by Kenya in second place with 18 points while Uganda are third with 11 points. Zimbabwe (5 points) and Senegal (1 point) occupy fourth and fifth places.
With Saturday’s victory over Uganda, Namibia who will now face Kenya this weekend at the Hage Geingob Stadium, is now on the verge of retaining the Africa Gold Cup as well as booking their place at the 2019 World Cup in Japan. Also on Saturday, Kenya defeated Zimbabwe by 41-22 in Bulawayo.
Namibia, who are a tier-two nation in the World Rugby tier system and have participated in five World Cups since their first appearance in 1999, have won the last three editions of the Africa Gold Cup – in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
The Africa Gold Cup, which serves as 2019 World Cup qualifiers, features Namibia, Kenya, Senegal, Tunisia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The Gold Cup is played on a round robin basis until August 5, with the winner not only being crowned Gold Cup champions but also qualifying for the World Cup.
The 2019 Rugby World Cup takes place in Japan from September 20 to November 2 and will be played across 12 venues.