Maurice Kambukwe

WINDHOEK –Wanderers Rugby Club head coach Vince Dreyer has hailed the spirited performance Namibia put up against top-tier opponents Italy in their 2019 Rugby World Cup opener last Sunday, but is however a bit concerned about the overall composure of the team’s defence line.

Expressing his views on the team’s performance in the opening match of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, where the Welwitschias are making their 6th consecutive appearance at the tournament, Dreyer said the Namibian amateurs gave the Italians a decent fight but they were many a time found wanting in their defence line.

“I think we played fairly well, in terms of attack and taking the match to our opponents early on in the match, which was something very good. However, I would say the only problem was the defence which wasn’t compatible. And I think that’s where the problem is because they [the defence] later caused the team to concede a couple of tries, which eventually saw us losing the match,” said Dreyer.

With Namibia now set to face former World Cup winners and southern African neighbours South Africa this coming Saturday for their second World Cup pool clash, Dreyer warned that the Springboks of South Africa will come out at the Namibians very strongly and will be determined to bounce back from the defeat against reigning champions New Zealand in their opening match.

As such, Dreyer advised that the Welwitschias should work to improve on their defence tactics and be more solid in defending as the Springboks will be on the rampage.

“The game between the Welwitschias and the Springboks will be a tough one for us, because South Africa is tier-one nation. It will be important if we set small goals ahead of this encounter and let them work on their defence,” he added. After Saturday’s match against South Africa, Namibia will head on to play reigning world champions New Zealand on October 6, before concluding with their last group match against Canada on October 13.