The national men’s U/20 rugby coach, Ryan de la Harpe, has voiced his frustration over the National Rugby Union's (NRU) perceived disinterest in the upcoming Barthes Cup in Zimbabwe, scheduled for 20 -28 April.
This year’s tournament will feature countries such as Namibia, host nation Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Zambia vying for top honours at the junior tournament. Namibia exited the competition last year after being eliminated by then-host nation Kenya in the semi-finals.
In an interview yesterday with this publication, De la Harpe accused the union of not supporting their preparations for the upcoming tournament. He mentioned that the team currently lacks a manager or assistant coach, and he is handling the responsibilities alone. Additionally, the team has not secured a kit sponsorship, and they are training separately due to the lack of support from the NRU.
“It’s a fantastic tournament to compete in; it gives exposure to the players participating. It's just quite disappointing that we have not received enough support to ensure our preparations for the tournament have progressed well. Currently, we are training separately, with Windhoek-based players training here while those outside Windhoek train on their own, making it challenging for us,” he stated.
“All we want is support from the union. Last year, we attended the same tournament without a kit sponsorship, and until now, we have not secured a sponsorship, making it difficult for us to train or organise training camps. We also lack transport to bring the boys together; we lack funds for accommodation during team camps, as well as food provisions,” he explained.
With less than 90 days left before the team participates in the junior tournament, the coach emphasised that the impact of the lack of sponsorship could be detrimental. “It's difficult to compete with such challenges. I am utilising the limited resources I have, and I want the best for the team, but the lack of support from the management will make it very difficult for us to compete at the highest level,” he lamented.
When contacted for a comment, the NRU vice president Johan Diergaardt stated, “I am not aware of this. I don’t have a comment. If he said that, then there should be a problem.”
The competition is named after the late World Rugby’s service manager for Africa, Jean-Luc Barthes. Organised by Rugby Africa, the tournament is the official African Rugby Championship for national teams in the U/20 age bracket. Over the years, it has identified future stars of African rugby and continues to serve as a talent identification platform and elite pathway.
The knockout-based tournament, currently sees Zimbabwe as the defending champions after their victory last year against host nation Kenya in the finals, securing their second consecutive title.
- mkambukwe@nepc.com.na