ONE of the cardinal lessons in life we should take into account is also what the good book validates and that is that we shall reap what we sow. This is easily the most powerful rule that determines the circumstances of each person that we encounter every day. Now, can somebody out there explain to me in detail about the continued reluctance of corporate businesses in this country to extend a helping hand to Namibian rugby?
What was once the pride of the nation – the game of the oval ball – rugby, has now become the sacrificial lamb of Namibian sports, or is it just that it has become politically incorrect and therefore expendable? It would appear that those who were at the helm of rugby for years have never taken kindly to their unceremonious exit from what they have come to genuinely believe is their sacred ground to be treaded only by the elect few. In all fairness, rugby was previously a predominantly white sport, reserved for the supposedly superior, pale hide young men of Dutch origin, who made it their sole beat to keep would be intruders at arms-length at all costs. With the inevitable dawn of Namibian independence in 1990, a lot of things changed and the balance of power also shifted to some extent. The country’s first democratic elections were not only confined to politics, but also spiraled down to other realms of national life, including sports. New leaders were brought in and some of the hard line old guard gave way, albeit with heavy hearts.
Though these changes were effected in good faith, larneys did not exactly take kindly to be summarily pushed aside and to be deprived of their heavenly past time. Maybe a damn good lesson that one should not kill the hen that lays the golden eggs. These were blokes blessed with deep pockets and when they were kindly offloaded from the pedestal, they simply responded by tightening the purse strings. It was a brutal tactical move aimed at crippling the new administration and bringing it down to its knees, and that stratagem has obviously paid off considering the dire financial straights in which rugby finds itself today. Namibia’s absence from the highly competitive South African provincial competition, the Currie Cup, has certainly blunted our competitive edge and has also lowered the standard of local rugby at club level and internationally.
Despite all the difficulties and challenges and virtually non-existent financial resources, our national rugby fifteen has in the past defied all the odds stacked against them and somehow managed against all expectations to qualify for the International Rugby Board (IRB) global showpiece. Namibia is once again on the verge of making its fifth consecutive appearance at the 2015 IRB World Cup in England. As it stands, a marathon and tough qualification campaign awaits the Welwitschias this year. In all honesty, it’s going to take a Herculean act from the Namibian amateurs to make a serious statement during the IRB World Cup qualifiers with no financial rescue prospect in sight. Is it not perhaps time now for all responsible and patriotic citizens of our land of the brave to bury the hatchet and to put aside past differences.
Let us throw our weight together and put shoulder to the wheel to rekindle the pride of local rugby and take the game to its rightful place among the world’s rugby heavyweights.
I rest my case.