Maurice Kambukwe
Namibia’s U/20 rugby side was in dominant mood yesterday, thumping host country Kenya with an emphatic score of 16-5 to storm into the final of the 2022 Barthes Cup set for Sunday in Nairobi.
They now face Zimbabwe, who beat Madagascar 32-3 in the second semi-final clash on the same day.
Namibia, who also won the trophy in 2017, dominated proceedings from start to finish, going into the changeover with a comfortable lead of 6-0 in the day’s first semi-final clash of the competition.
The second stanza followed a similar pattern, with the Namibian youngsters adding more points on their way to a well-deserved victory.
Sharing his thoughts on the crucial win, happy coach Chrysander Botha said he was impressed with how the boys executed their game plan, and with how they were always one step ahead of Kenya at the defence line. He also pointed out his charges’ remarkable tactical ability, saying they once again demonstrated how improved they are in that space and going into the final, things will get even better in all areas of play.
“The game was tough, but we went into the match with our spirits very high, and believing strongly that we can get the job done. We were technically and tactically a good team today (yesterday), and we also managed to play the ball in the correct areas of the field. When we got opportunities, we made sure we utilised them, and that paid off in the end. We kept it tight, and the approach worked for us,” reflected a thrilled Botha.
On what he plans to do in the final, the coach said they will go back to the drawing board and make sure the team is well-prepared for whoever they face in the final. But he maintained that they will not change their general approach.
“We will go back and work on areas that need to be worked on. But overall, we are going to remain ready for whoever makes it to the final.”
Meanwhile, Namibian captain Oela Blaauw echoed his coach’s sentiments, saying they were calm and focused on perfecting their execution. Blaauw was also chosen as Man of the Match.
“Obviously, we reviewed our mistakes against Ivory Coast in our earlier match, and then we worked on correcting those mistakes. But overall, it was teamwork which helped us to produce that great result. We had a talk with the coach, who told us that we will have to give everything on the field and defend anyone from crossing our goal line,” he said. On the final, Blaauw said: “We are going to be ready for the team that makes it to the final.”
– mkambukwe@nepc.com.na