Otniel Hembapu
Windhoek-Namibia’s rugby side, the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias, will tomorrow confront visiting South African outfit Border Cavaliers in their Currie Cup First Division clash in Swakopmund.
The Welwitschias, who have so far only won one of their last six matches in the competition, will tomorrow be expected to bring their A-game to the table as they aim to finish off the season with a home victory.
Both sides sit outside the top-three on the eight-team log table, with the Welwitschias stationed second from bottom on 12 points after six matches played so far while Cavaliers are fourth on the log with 19 points from the same number of matches. Eastern Province sits last on the log with four points.
Cavaliers, meanwhile, will be in the fortunate position of knowing exactly what they need to do to secure a semi-final berth by the time they take to the field in Swakopmund tomorrow. This will mark the first match-up between the teams in the competition, as Boland participated in the Currie Cup Premier Division in the Welwitschias’ debut season last year.
The hosts will take comfort from the fact that they have scored more tries than the Wellington outfit this season, but they have to step up their defence immensely to have a shot at finishing their season with a home win.
Welwitschias mentor, Lyn Jones, says the team has improved a lot in their performance compared to what they did last year in the same competition.
“If you look at the way this team played last season, we have really improved – winning one game now compared to not winning any games last season,” he said, adding that they made big strides and by 2019, they will be where they want to be.
Jones also said the coastal weather in Swakopmund will be perfect for his players to give their best.
“It was really hard to select the travelling squad this weekend because all the players gave it their best and wanted to play in Swakopmund, but we selected a team that will represent the country well,” he said. – Additional reporting by Nampa
The Namibian squad is as follows: Hauta Veii, Orbert Nortje, Hermanus Grobler, Ruan Ludick, Denzil van Wyk, Rohan Kitshoff (Vice Captain), Roberto Forbes, Thomas Kali, Eugene Jantjies (Captain), Theuns Kotze, David Philander, Darryl de la Harpe, Lesley Klim, Johan Tromp and Mahco Prinsloo. Substitutes: Daniel van Vuuren, Abel de Klerk, Nelius Theron, Muniovita Kasiringua, Riaan de Klerk, Pieter Steenkamp and Heinrich Smit.