The fundamental question that needs to be raised should be; is our national rugby fifteen, the Welwitschias, really worth the candle to represent the Land of the Brave at the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan later this year?
Of course, many would argue that the team qualified fairly during the relative low key African qualifiers but alas, one should look at the quality of opponents to make a sober judgement.
My dear readers, please before you start crucifying me and call me a wet blanket, I’m a patriotic Namibian who cares for the well-being of our beloved Land of the Brave and will defend and preserve the dignity of my birth land at any given time.
Judging from the Welwitshias’ lukewarm performance in South Africa’s provincial second tier competition, the Supersport Rugby Challenge – yours truly is shivering like a fired up “Boere Orkes” pondering what will happen when the world’s biggest showpiece gets underway in few months’ time. That’s certainly not the kind of preparation one could be proud of.
Truth be told, our national team has become the whipping boys of the Supersport Rugby Challenge, suffering heavy defeats enduring painful results at random, indeed an embarrassment for a World Cup-bound nation.
Now, tell me if we can’t even hold our own against second strings provincial opponents, how the bloody hell are we going to sustain the onslaught from the likes of New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Wales and South Africa?
We find ourselves suffocated with a seemingly clueless foreign coach who keeps feeding us with half fried beef that the team is actually doing well and would eventually pick up the pieces when the tournament gets underway – what a cock and bull story !!.
It’s about time for those being in charge at Lichtenstein Strasse to get out of their slumber and smell the Java. The oval ball game still has a long way to go.
We should not be blindfolded by customary soft World cup qualifications. Sports authorities must also revisit the criteria for the annual best team of the year award category.
World cup qualification should not serve as the ultimate measurement for the August accolade, let us start considering the genuine volume of participation.
Logic suggests that the Brave Warriors’ qualification for the biannual CAF Afcon should carry more weight than Rugby World cup qualification – given the volume of participation (strength of opponents) where Namibia is thrown amongst the continent’s heavyweights for a place in the finals, unlike in rugby where Namibia is exempted from rubbing shoulders with rugby’s heavyweights including South Africa.
It should be noted that our national women’s hockey team qualified for the World cup at the expense of big sister, South Africa and still managed to fashion few victories during the finals whereas our rugby team is yet to manufacture a single win after five consecutive attempts at the World cup.
An apology just not good enough for TRIBAL utterances
So, that foul mouth fool that saw it fit to insult, threatened and tribally abused African Stars Football Club playmaker Aubrey Amseb, has finally come to his sense tendering a lukewarm apology after he was castigated on social media.
It’s incumbent upon the club to identify football hooligans and impose bans to deter would be troublemakers from such further unbecoming behavior.
Athletes need protection and should never be exposed to such inhuman treatment that amounts to psychological torture. Clubs must introduce hard and fast rules with regard to fan behavior if we are to avoid and discourage such bad habits.
Eish, an apology is just a gentle wrap on the wrest – the culprit should have been summoned before a Disciplinary Committee and gets reprimanded with a possible fine, or better still a life ban from all football related activities – such elements are a danger to society and an embarrassment to the oath of mankind.
I rest my case.