The senior national rugby side suffered a 17–26 loss to South Africa’s Boland Kavaliers in an international friendly match played on Saturday. 

The encounter served as the final warm-up for the team before they head into the highly anticipated 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup qualification tournament in Dubai.

Despite the defeat, the friendly provided valuable lessons as the team fine-tunes preparations for their opening clash against Belgium this Saturday. 

Director of Rugby Jacques Burger expressed both reflection and determination as the squad looks to bounce back from recent disappointments on their road to World Cup qualification.

“I think we have reflected a lot over the last couple of months since the Uganda qualifiers, and the disappointment was unreal. The sadness and frustration after that loss to Zimbabwe, falling short by just two points, was incredibly hard to take. We had put in so much work, and to come up just short really hurt. However, it means a great deal to this group, and to me personally, to make Namibia proud. Whether we win or lose, the important thing is that people see a team that fights to the end,” he said.

Burger acknowledged the emotional and logistical challenges the team has faced, including the loss of their head coach a month before the qualifiers. “That made it really tough to regroup and refocus. Players were coming in at different times, but that’s the sport: you take the loss on the chin, move on, and focus on what’s next. We are improving, learning and getting stronger as a group,” he noted.

Namibia will compete in a tough pool in Dubai, facing Belgium on 8 November, Samoa on 13 November, and Brazil on 18 November, with all matches kicking off at 19h30. -lmupetami@nepc.om.na