Windhoek
While the Namibian senior second strings rugby fifteen, the Welwitschias, are finding the going tough in the South African Provincial Currie Cup, the Namibian youth team is making serious inroads in world rugby.
Hosts Namibia made full use of home ground advantage to advance through to next year’s Under-19 World Junior Rugby Trophy.
The Namibians easily waltzed past their opponents in the four-nation mini tournament qualifiers to book a berth in next year’s second-tier Under-19 global showpiece.
The fired-up Namibians retained the Under-19 Africa Cup Division 1A Crown for the fifth year in succession via a comprehensive 42-29 triumph over Zimbabwe in a ten-try thrilling clash of the titans at the Hage Geingbob Stadium in Windhoek on Saturday.
Namibia and Zimbabwe booked themselves a place in the final having outscored their opponents in the semifinals with ease three days earlier.
Namibia registered the biggest win in the youth tourney, thrashing hapless debutants Tunisia by 64 points without a reply.
In the other semifinal clash, Zimbabwe rode their luck in a nail-biting narrow 27-26 victory against the gutsy Kenyan side in the competition’s opening match on Wednesday.
Namibia’s well-deserved victory was a repeat of last year’s final that saw the Namibians narrowly eliminate eternal rivals Zimbabwe by 34 points to 32 to confirm their dominance on the African continent – thus claiming the bragging rights as the continental youth tourney’s most decorated team in the past five years.
Meanwhile, North African representatives Tunisia dropped to the Africa Cup 1B after suffering a 24-17 defeat at the hands of Kenya in the play-off played as curtain-raiser to the final.