Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president Petri Theron yesterday announced a 28-man squad along with 10 technical staff members who will represent the country at the upcoming Rugby Africa Cup, scheduled to take place in Uganda from 8 to 19 July.
The highly anticipated tournament, set to unfold at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, will feature top African rugby nations including hosts Uganda, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Kenya, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, and Morocco.
The stakes are high, as the winner will secure direct qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. The runner-up will still have a chance to book a place through the global repechage tournament, where they’ll face teams from other continents for the final qualification slot.
Theron said the squad is subject to final medical clearance but expressed confidence in the squad’s preparations and determination.
“We expect strong opposition from countries like Algeria, Kenya, and Zimbabwe,” he said. “Depending on how the tournament unfolds, we could meet either Kenya or Zimbabwe in the quarter-finals assuming no surprises. It will be a tough competition because all the participating teams are fighting hard for that World Cup spot.”
He also noted that the team’s recent matches were intentionally scheduled to toughen them up for the challenge ahead. “The boys ticked the boxes we needed during preparations, and we are satisfied with their performance so far. But it won’t be easy. That’s why we deliberately took on difficult opponents to ready ourselves for this task.”
Namibia is aiming to maintain its long-standing presence at the Rugby World Cup, having featured in every edition since 1999.
Team names:
Lazarus Shifuka, Jason Benade, Otja Auala, Sidney Halupe, Louis van der Westhuizen, Armand Combrinck, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Johannes Coetzee, Adriaan Ludick, Oliver Kurtz, Tiaan de Klerk, Wian Conradie, Johan Retief, Max Katjijeko, Richard Hardwick, Adriaan Booysen, Prince !Gaoseb, Jacques Theron, Andrew Kearns, Tiaan Swanepoel, Andre van der Berg, Le Roux Malan, Danco Burger, Alcino Izaacs, Jurgen Meyer, Cliven Loubser, Danie van der Merwe, Jay Cee Nel.
Technical staff:
Jacques Burger (Director of Rugby), Wilfred Bezuidenhoud (team doctor), Wessel Kotze (team manager), Jaco Engels (scrum coach), Rohan Kitshoff (forward coach), David Philander (back line coach), Darryl de la Harpe (technical coach), strength and conditioning coach Sergio de la Harpe, Tanya Green (lead physiotherapist) and Devin O’Brien (video analyst). -lmupetami@nepc.com.na