Namibian squad to face Italy The Namibian rugby selectors yesterday announced a strong squad to take on Italy in a test match at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium on Friday afternoon.  The team shows five changes to last weekend’s starting lineup that lost 59-19 to the Pumas, while the pack of forwards has been strengthened with further reinforcements from abroad having joined the squad. The veteran Cheetahs prop, Aranos Coetzee, who has represented Namibia at three world cups, is back in the team as is his Cheetahs teammate and hooker, Louis van der Westhuizen, who has also been to three world cups. They replace Jason Benade and Armand Combrinck, who both move to the bench. Johan Retief, who has represented Namibia at two world cups and currently plays in Russia, comes in at lock in place of Ruan Ludick, who moves to the bench, while the latter’s younger brother, Adriaan Ludick, replaces Oliver Kurz at lock. The rest of the pack shows a lot of experience with the loose trio of captain Prince! Gaoseb, Max Katjijeko and Adriaan Booysen all having represented Namibia at the world cup. Amongst the backs, Tiaan Swanepoel of the Lions in South Africa, who represented Namibia at the 2023 world cup, comes in at flyhalf in place of Andre van der Berg, with the latter moving to fullback in place of Cliven Loubser. The only other change sees Alcino Izaacs returning at centre in place of Danie van der Merwe, who moves to right wing. The speedy Jacques Theron remains at scrumhalf, while Danco Burger, Jurgen Meyer and Danie van der Merwe, who all had promising performances against the Pumas, remain in the starting lineup. The Namibia Rugby Union, meanwhile, announced that Darryl de la Harpe has been appointed as a technical assistant to the national team following the resignation of Chrysander Botha as head coach due to work commitments. De la Harpe will assist Namibia’s director of rugby, Jacques Burger, who is also acting head coach. The Namibian squad is as follows: Andre van der Berg, Danie van der Merwe, Alcino Izaacs, Danco Burger, Jurgen Meyer, Tiaan Swanepoel, Jacques Theron, Adriaan Booysen, Max Katjijeko, Prince! Gaoseb, Johan Retief, Adriaan Ludick, Aranos Coetzee, Louis van der Westhuizen, Haitembi Shikufa. Substitutes: Armand Combrinck, Jason Benade, Sidney Halupe, Ruan Ludick, Johan Luttig, Peter Diergaardt, Oela Blaauw, Quirione Majiedt. The post Namibian squad to face Italy appeared first on The Namibian.

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Welwitschias Eye Airlink Pumas After Narrow Win Over Uganda [New Era] The Welwitschias will shift their focus to a tough encounter against South Africa's Airlink Pumas this coming weekend at Hage Geingob Stadium, in what promises to be another testing international friendly.

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Last four standing  The Namibian Rugby Premier League heads towards its culmination at the Hage Geingob Stadium tomorrow when the remaining four semifinalists battle it out for a place in the final.  FNB Kudus take on FNB Grootfontein in the first semi at 14h30, while FNB Wanderers take on Trustco United at 16h15.  With former national u20 coach Roger Thompson taking over as director of rugby this year, Kudus have developed into a formidable side that only lost two matches througout the season. That was a narrow 32-31 defeat to United on 5 April and a 27-10 defeat to Wanderers on 17 May, while they beat Grootfontein 33-27 in their league encounter on 3 May.  Kudus narrowly missed out on the final over the past two years and are highly motivated to make it count this time, according to their secretary Wilfried Muller: “Confidence is surging through the Kudus camp as we finalize preparations for our crucial semi-final clash this Saturday. Despite facing significant hurdles, the team believes they are perfectly positioned to surpass last season’s achievements and secure a coveted spot in the final in the premier league,” he said.  “The journey to the semi-finals hasn’t been without disruption. Holiday periods presented unexpected training challenges, but the commitment of the Kudus squad shone through with many players balancing demanding work schedules in companies operating through the holidays,” he added.  The team will be without their inspirational captain Cameron Langenhoven and influential flyhalf Kyle Wentzel who are both injured, but they have been bolstered by the return of halfback Michael Koopman from work commitments and Muller said they are highly motivated for the match.  “This weekend is a moment of immense pride for our entire club. We’ve overcome disruptions and key absences through depth; the boys have trained well, the belief is tangible and we are ready to go a step further,” he said.  Grootfontein clinched their semifinal place after beating Rehoboth 41-39 last weekend and captain Wicus Jacobs said it was the perfect preparation for the semis.  “The game was a thriller, Rehoboth came for us from the start and the lead changed throughout. They played very well, they played as if it was a quarterfinal so I take my hat off for them. They gave a great performance and provided us an opportunity to prepare well for this weekend’s game, and show us where there are still errors and what we need to improve,” he said.  “We have two injuries – AJ Vercuil broke his ankle last weekend and Justin Pollman broke his collarbone, but besides that we are at full strength. We respect Kudus and I think its going to be a great game. They play a very similar game to us, so in the end it will be about which team executes their forward facets andgame plan the best,” he added.  Wanderers will start as favourites against United, after remaining unbeaten throughout the season and finishing well clear of the chasing pack at the top of the log.  United on the other hand won four and lost four of their league matches, while they just scraped into the semis. Wanderers, however, bring out the best in their traditional rivals and despite losing their league encounter 47-24 on 10 May, United pushed Wanderers all the way.   Wanderers coach Dirk Human said they are well prepared and looking forward to the encounter.  “We are very excited, but a semi is another ball-game altogether, so we will be tested thoroughly and I think it will be a different United team to the one that we beat in the derby,” he said.   “The spirit is high, our preparations have gone well and I think we are ready for the onslaught and hopefully we can make the final,” he added.   Wanderers will be strengthened by the return of Adriaan Booysen and Jacques Theron, who were rested last weekend, but they still have a few injury concerns according to Human. “Danie van der Merwe is still out with a niggling injury, and we must assess Denzo Bruwer who is out with a knee injury, and Kian Bayer who is also out, but we are very excited that Liam Compion has recovered, so he’ll be back in the starting line-up,” he said.   The Premier Luegue semis will be preceded by the Reserve League semis with Wanderers II taking on Kudus II at 11h00, while Unam II take on Dolphins II at 12h45.  The post Last four standing  appeared first on The Namibian.

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