REHOBOTH – The opening round of matches in the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) Premier League produced few surprises although reigning champions Western Suburbs kicked off their league title defence campaign on a sore note – suffering a narrow 17-21 defeat at the hands of a determined Rehoboth at the Rehoboth High School rugby field on Saturday.
Playing at home, Rehoboth made full use of the home ground advantage and were in a class of their own taking the game to the visitors right from the onset, which saw them fashion out an early lead through three converted tries by Yoshiro Klazen and Attie Du Plessiss to take a healthy 21-0 lead going into the changeover. Suburbs struggled immensely to move out of their blocks in the opening half as Rehoboth matched them pound for pound in most departments. The hosts stuck to their guns and had a good game plan which did not allow Suburbs to play their usual lethal fast ball-carrying rugby.
It was only in the 2nd half that Suburbs got out of first gear, closing in with some classic attacks from both wings, which saw them gaining momentum and finally narrowing the gap through a gallantly taken try by Justen Nel. Suburbs started mounting more pressure on the home side and their hard work finally paid off when Victor Giggs gifted his team the much-needed touchdown to make it 21-10 and move within touching distance of the hosts.
With Suburbs now getting into the groove by playing their usual fast offensive rugby, the visitors increased their score after Demasho Forbes crossed the line for the visitors to move within 4 points off the pace. The subsequent conversion was goaled by Devaroux Jansen to make it 21-17.
In other Premier league action, Wanderers pulled out all stops as the White Stallions displayed top-drawer performance to brush aside Kudus via a 27-0 victory in an enthralling clash. The victory gifted Wanderers the much needed boost going into the next round of matches, while it will be back to the drawing board for the coastal side who have not been at their best in the last few seasons.
Elsewhere, Unam Rugby Club kicked off their league title campaign on a high. The Clever Boys overpowered fellow students Polytech 50-21 in another entertaining clash of the titans. The match that was to have taken place between United Rugby Club and Walvis Bay Rugby Club failed to materialize with United getting a walkover (W/O) after the coastal outfit withdrew from the encounter citing a lack of sufficient playing personnel.
By Otniel Hembapu