… Supersport Rugby Challenge action continues
Strauss Lunyangwe
Windhoek – Namibia’s rugby second stringers, the Windhoek Draught Welwitschias, will tomorrow continue with their hunt for an elusive first win in the ongoing Supersport Rugby Challenge when they lock horns against unbeaten ISG Pumas at the Mbombela Stadium in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
The Namibian rugby amateurs are yet to record a win in the 2019 Supersport Rugby Challenge, having lost all their five matches. Namibia lost their opening fixture 23-40 against the Golden Lions before succumbing to another humiliating 21-87 defeat at the hands of the Blue Bulls.
They went on to suffer a 24-34 defeat at the hands of the Tafel Lager Griquas, before bowing down to the Leopards 81-8 in their last outing at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek.
This time around, the local-based players had sufficient time to practice together ahead of tomorrow clash against the Pumas.
JC Winkler will wear the captain armband for the Welwitschias this weekend and says that their main aim against the Pumas will be to focus on their strong points and eventually achieving the best results possible.
‘’The run is tough and difficult and being classified as the underdogs, we will be doing our best and playing the best game that we can. Also trying to remove the classification of being the underdogs. The Pumas won the league last year and it is a great opportunity to play against them where we can also showcase the talent that we have in our team,’’ he said.
The Welwitschias squad participating in this competition comprises an assortment of experienced and upcoming youngsters, a blending process that will go a long way in helping shape Namibia’s preparations for the World Cup in Japan.
In a change of competition format from previous years, the SuperSport Rugby Challenge was this year split into two sections – North and South – with the top two teams from each section progressing to the semifinals.
Defending champions, the Pumas, will spearhead the North Section alongside the Down Touch Griffons, Leopards, Blue Bulls, Namibia, Golden Lions XV, Griquas and Valke, while the South Section will consist of the Free State XV, Sharks XV, SWD Eagles, Western Province, Boland, EP Elephants, Border and Zimbabwe.
The SuperSport Rugby Challenge is the secondary domestic rugby union competition in South Africa, organised by the South African Rugby Union and features all fourteen South African provincial unions plus Namibian side the Welwitschias and Zimbabwe. The inaugural season of the competition was in 2017, set up as the long-term successor of the Vodacom Cup competition.
Namibian squad to face Pumas: Wilfred Saunderson, Gerhard Thirion, Wilfred Saunderson, Gerhard Thirion, Simon Kanime, Ruan Ludick, Reinhardt Carelse, Joshua Jacobs, Kami Mieze, Driaan Voster, JC Winkler (C), Hanreco Van Zyl, Paulus Hangula, Henrique Olivier, Milan van Wyk, Jamie Joseph and Lorenzo Louis.