Namibia’s U/20 rugby side’s head coach Chrysander Botha said guiding a young and somewhat inexperienced squad to the final of the highly-competitive 2022 Barthes Cup was beyond expectation, and proves that local rugby is on an upward trajectory.
The young and promising Namibians, who stormed into the final after beating hosts and defending champions Kenya by 16-5 earlier in the semi-finals, on Sunday narrowly went down 14-19 against a physical and determined Zimbabwean side at the Nyayo International Stadium in Nairobi.
But despite settling for silver at this year’s Barthes Cup, Botha refuses to read too much into the results, saying the attitude, hunger and strong character his charges showed on their way to the final provides sufficient hope and proves that local rugby is on the right path.
“Obviously, it is not the desired result. But I’m happy to have reached the final with these boys, and what impressed me the most is the character they showed. Their attitude and hunger to win was great. But in the end, we could not get the result we wanted due to many small individual errors we committed, while Zimbabwe took their chances. At times, you could see that we didn’t handle the ball well in some areas, and our opponents took advantage of our errors,” reflected the former Welwitschias speedy full-back.
“But all in all, I’m happy with my boys’ overall attitude and character. Reaching the final is already an achievement on its own and from here, we can only work hard to improve our game. But I can confidently say the future of Namibian rugby looks bright. We will come back next year and try again.”
It was a tightly-contested final, which saw Namibia earning an early penalty which was converted by Riaan Grove for a 3-0 lead. Zimbabwe quickly responded with their own penalty, converted by Brendan Marume, to level matters, and later on earned a first try of the game to stretch their lead to 8-3.
Left-wing Liberty Sibanda managed to get some space in the Namibia defence, and his trickery was enough to hand Zimbabwe their first try of the game
An infringement by Zimbabwe allowed Namibia to score yet another penalty through Geraldo Beukes, but Takudzwa Musingwini scored yet another try for Zimbabwe to take an 11-6 halftime lead.
Another penalty kick in the second half by Namibia reduced the arrears to two points, with Beukes scoring another penalty for Namibia. A brilliant interchange down the left flank released Panashe Zuze, who scored Zimbabwe’s second try, which proved vital in the game.
With the scores at 16-14, the game witnessed a nervy ending, but a penalty for Zimbabwe eased the pressure on them.
A late surge by Namibia was not enough, as good defensive play by Zimbabwe ensured that they soaked in the pressure to the last minute and seal the 2022 Barthes Trophy. The win earned them a ticket to represent Africa at next year’s World Rugby U/20 Trophy.
- ohembapu@nepc.com.na