We value your privacy

We use cookies to enhance your browsing experience, serve personalized ads or content, and analyze our traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to our use of cookies.

Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Front Page News, Sports

Namibia gun for Kenya after strong Barthes Cup start

2025-04-222025-04-22By Maurice Kambukwe
Namibia gun for Kenya after strong Barthes Cup start

After winning their opening fixture of the 2025 U/20 Rugby Africa Barthes Cup being held in Zimbabwe, Namibia will be out to collect maximum points when they face off against the defending champions Kenya tomorrow.

In their first and opening match of the tournament, Namibia took on the host nation, in a tie they convincingly won 22-41, sending a message that they are a team to watch out for at the competition.

Tomorrow, they return to the field to take on 2023 Barthes Cup champions, Kenya, who also beat Tunisia 29-21 in their opening match.

CEO of the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) John Heynes expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance against Zimbabwe’s junior Sables. He said the team displayed top rugby on the day.

“I think the boys did well; the scoreline showed us how dominant they were during their first match against Zimbabwe. This is also due to all the friendlies the team had played before the tournament,” he added.

He expects the team’s performance to improve as the tournament progresses. “I believe the team has the potential to win this tournament. It’s going to be a hard journey, but I expect them to put up a similar performance when they square off against Tunisia in their second match,” he said.

Namibia will play Kenya in their second tie tomorrow before taking on Tunisia in their last match of the tournament.

The U20 Barthés Trophy is an annual competition organised by Rugby Africa featuring national under-20 teams from the continent. The tournament began in 2007 with Uganda as the host, which saw Namibia winning the title. The tournament winners qualify for the following year’s World Rugby U20 Trophy, organised by World Rugby.

The Barthés Trophy has grown into one of the most prestigious events since its inception. Over the years, it has produced numerous stars who went on to launch successful professional careers, both domestically and on the international stage.

Many players who have illuminated the Barthés Trophy stage over the years will be representing their nations in the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup, each hoping to wrap up their careers on rugby’s biggest stage, the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

-Additional reporting from Rugby Africa

-mkambukwe@nepc.com.na