Defending champions of the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) Premier League, Wanderers, secured a much-needed victory on Saturday when they defeated their close rivals, Unam,
42-36. 

With this victory, Wanderers climbed to second place on the league table with 38 points, tied on points with log leaders
Kudus. 

They hold a five-point lead over United, who currently occupy the third position with 33 points.

After the match on Saturday, head coach Dirk Human expressed his admiration for the team’s performance and their commitment to the game plan. 

He commended the players
for their relentless efforts in securing maximum points
 against a formidable opponent
like Unam. 

But Human acknowledged it was a tough match against
Unam. 

“You know, playing against them is always crucial, but credit to the boys for pouring their hearts out to ensure maximum points were in the bag. We started very slowly – but as the match progressed, we managed to gain momentum and ultimately sealed the victory,” he said.

Human also shared that the team had a good week preparing for the match, and he was particularly impressed by how the substitute players stepped
 up.

“What impressed me the most was how the replacement players seamlessly stepped in for our regular lineup and executed the game plan. It was truly overwhelming to watch their performance, especially considering that we had key players sidelined due to injuries and work commitments,” he added.

Looking ahead, Human acknowledged the significant challenge that awaits them in the upcoming match against log leaders Kudus. 

“Now, the responsibility falls on us to secure a victory against the log leaders, Kudus, next week. If we win, we will then go to the top of the table. It’s another challenging task that awaits us, and our aim is to emerge victorious and claim the top spot. Our goal is to finish in the top four, guaranteeing our participation in the playoffs,” he added.

Reflecting on the match, Unam head coach Russel van Rooi admitted that his team had a slow start and struggled with nerves in the early stages. 

“From the game of yesterday, too many free kicks against us. The team really fought back yesterday in the second half and got the lead back for some time. The boys further showed a lot of character, and that made me really proud. I will never change the team or the opponents but rather change the official that officiated the encounter. 

We will go back to the
drawing board and prepare well for the next encounter that is Western Suburbs,” he said.

In other Saturday matches, Kudus narrowly defeated Reho Falcon 27-25, United dominated Grootfontein with a convincing 42-10 victory and Western Suburbs emerged victorious against Rehoboth with a score of 27-25.

- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na