Windhoek – Namibia rugby 15, the Welwitschias, kicked off their World Cup preparations in astounding style when they defeated Tunisia by 22-14 in Nabeu, Tunisia, on Saturday.
The match that attracted close to a thousand spectators also served as Namibia’s defence of the Africa Cup trophy they won in Madagascar last year.
Looking to gain momentum in their preparation for their World Cup opener against the All Blacks of New Zealand on September 24 in England, Namibia started well when France-based flyhalf Theuns Kotzê perfectly set up JP van Lill, who crossed the line to score the opening try with just 4 minutes into the game.
The Welwitschias looked set for a big win, as they maintained good possession. But strange refereeing decisions hampered their progress, as they also started contributing to their own problems when they lost at least 5 of their line-outs and the Tunisians started closing in with some attacks. Tunisia, however, managed to score from a line-out drive and added a penalty in the process to trail 8-12 going into the changeover.
The second half saw Namibia squander at least three try-scoring opportunities while the Tunisians recorded points through two penalties on the rare occasions they ventured into Namibia’s half.
At one stage, Tunisia were leading 14-12 before a penalty by Kotzê and David Philander’s second try of the match handed victory to the Namibians, winning the match 22-14.
Namibia travel to Romania for Friday’s Nations Cup clash against the Argentinean Jaguars, Romania and Spain.
by Staff Reporter