The just concluded Rugby Championship has given both some of the All Blacks and Boks’ supporters the enigma to say the least!
Well, pundits will say hey, it’s one each, home and away – a draw upward curves, prep for World Cup and the usual TV boffins have their own pennies’ worth.
It goes to show the amount of emotion, pain, distress, sense of betrayal and entitlement that is brought on by the teams we support and would die for. The following article will have all of the above, I sincerely hope.
A couple of months ago, we heard about the eminent establishment of the so-called Namibia Rugby Limited Company, ostensibly to run the commercial arm of rugby in the country.
No qualms about that, alas I was of the opinion that this is systematic treason and posted my comment on one of the various rugby WhatsApp groups.
Promptly and duly castigated by one of our pale-skinned compatriots, I removed my post and apologised. At that stage, I for one did not have sufficient information to advance that particular statement.
Now five months later, we all have gathered a bit more information regarding the subject and my concern is what happened in between as it showed a nation divided.
It demonstrates a nation using freedom of speech to really put her point across, notwithstanding perjury, crimen injuria and plain lokasie skel.!
Groups and persons duly attacked the NRU and gradually personalised the matter to call out the NRU as corrupt and have done zilch for local rugby in the last decade.
On the other hand, opposition to the NRL followed the same MO. It got nasty, dirty and plain racially motivated in the end.
What is disheartening though is the unrepentance of a section of our community. They refuse to change and conveniently hide behind thinly veiled racially tempered sms’s, nogal in the name of rugby, kamma.
What transpired is that a certain mate from Hops manufacturer featured prominently in this melee, with the MD also making various comments.
I have no beef with that, since I learned a lot about how to run a rugby union, a National team, coaching a team, a neighbouring country’s 7’s team, a neighbouring country’s Currie Cup side and how to keep managers in check!
Surprise, surprise, a week or so ago, the Namibia Sports Commission announced that the NRU is the sole custodian of rugby in Namibia. However, since that killer blow, we are yet to hear a single word from NRL and neither has World Rugby pronounced itself on the matter.
Take into consideration that a sports writer appearing on a NBC rugby show, revealed that World Rugby has pumped 23 million dollars into the NRL coffers, this while the cash-strapped NRU only sits with 8c in their bank account (so I heard from my little bird ).
And then comes the second surprise, the sms’s in the Blue Daily have dried up though one or two misinformed recently came through. Not even clubs (who are the legitimate owners of rugby in the country) have come out publicly to take a stance on this matter. Forget about washing vuil wasgoed in public, therefore we love Soc Med too much!
For me, it’s a case of “they” have control of rugby again because simply put, NRL’s initial idea was systematically tailored to gain undeserved and unpatriotic control. And why is the perception out there that only certain people can run rugby or look after eie belang than others?
I know the nastiness is past, I know that we as Namibians can and will work together again for a common goal. As it stands, the 2019 World Cup is too important to even contemplate withdrawal.
By the way 10 months ago, NRU was operating without a NRL and exceptionally well. With Bradley Basson as president and may I add ….the clubs have just exercised their democratic right by electing a new president, so what the hell has changed, except the Hon Pressy?
There is a strong case for a commercial and a professional/semi-professional arm in our rugby. However, we must operate in the ambit of the country’s Constitution, Sports Act, NRU Constitution and of course, World Rugby Constitution.
Good ole common sense also helps whilst the ‘give and take’ scenario also helps. I know we cannot harp on the past, but people must also not forget the sometimes very privileged past some have and continue to enjoy with little to no sacrifice.
The President Dr Hage Geingob is the patron of our rugby union, with emphasis on the union. The country’s number one citizen always emphasises the concept of the Namibian House, so please let’s join hands and take care of our various houses.