After pummelling the Sables of Zimbabwe 34-19 on Wednesday night to reach the final of the 2022 Rugby Africa Cup, it is again back to the grindstone for the Welwitschias, who will face an equally determined Kenya on Sunday.
The marauding Welwitschias went into the changeover leading 14-5 against Zimbabwe, who clearly struggled to keep up with Namibia’s fast play, accuracy at the touchline and superior tactics.
That semi-final encounter was a one-way street, with the Welwitschias dominating both stanzas, marching to a comfortable 34-19 victory, which will now see them face Kenya in Sunday’s final. The Simbas of Kenya had earlier on the day narrowly beaten Algeria 36-33 to also book their place in the final. With the Rugby Africa Cup also doubling up as the continent’s qualifying tournament for next year’s World Cup, the Welwitschias will return to France’s Stade Maurice David hoping to secure their passage to a seventh consecutive World Cup.
Whoever emerges victorious on Sunday, will book their seat at next year’s World Cup as Africa 1 in Pool A, alongside host France, New Zealand, Italy and Uruguay. The World Cup dream will, however, not be over for the losing finalist, as they will still contest in the Final Qualification Tournament for another chance to secure Africa’s second ticket to the World Cup.
But Welwitschias veteran gaffer Allister Coetzee has vowed to leave no room for errors against Kenya, saying his only objective is to qualify Namibia to her seventh straight World Cup and build a lasting legacy thereafter.
“I’m quite happy with the win against Zimbabwe and with the kind of rugby we played on the day. I was very pleased with how we got the basics right in most areas, although there are still a few small things that need tightening up. The good performance against Zimbabwe shows that our attacking system is working and that the players have the freedom to play within the system. So, from here going forward, we just have to continue improving and build on that success as we go into Sunday’s final,” a pleased Coetzee told New Era Sport yesterday.
Touching on the prospects of the final, Coetzee admitted that Kenya has drastically improved over the years, and now boast a group of young and talented players; but said they will be ready to contain them.
“So, for Sunday’s clash, we will have to go out there again and do our utmost best as we did against Zimbabwe. We will have to play our best and biggest game, and work hard to come out with a win. Luckily, we have no injuries in the squad at the moment and that will help us big time going into this final against a strong opponent like Kenya. It’s the final game and that means we will have to do all things right on the day to get the win.”
Next year’s World Cup will take place in France from 8 September to 28 October and will mark the 200th anniversary of the invention of the sport by William Webb Ellis. It will be the third time France host the Rugby World Cup, having previously hosted the 2007 Rugby World Cup, as well as the 1991 Rugby World Cup as joint hosts with England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
Originally, the tournament was scheduled to last the typical six weeks; however, on 23 February 2021, World Rugby announced an additional week to accommodate the additional rest day requirement for player welfare. This means that teams will have a minimum of five rest days for all matches, optimising recovery and preparation for the tournament.
Last year’s Stellenbosch Challenge semi-final clash marked the 13th test between Kenya and Namibia, which Namibia won 60-24. The two sides met for the first time during the Rugby World Cup 1995 qualification tournament in Nairobi in 1993, the Welwitschias running away with a 60-9 result over the Simbas.
- ohembapu@nepc.com.na