Namibia Still in the Hunt [Namibian] Namibia's 2027 Rugby World Cup dream is still alive after the Welwitschias posted an emphatic 86-29 victory against the UAE in Uganda on Saturday.

#Namibia #RugbyWorldCup #Welwitschias #SportsNews #Rugby

Welwitschias prepare for Dubai World Cup qualifier  Erasmus Shalihaxwe The national rugby team, the Welwitschias, are preparaing  for the repechage tournament in Dubai, where they aim to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.  Head coach Jacques Burger made the commitment after Namibia’s dominant 86-29 victory over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Kampala, Uganda.  The win secured Namibia’s place in the repechage tournament, set for November 2025. The winner will earn a spot in the World Cup. TThe tournament will feature four teams from different continents: Belgium (Europe), Brazil (South America), Canada (North America), and Namibia (Africa).  Burger stressed the importance of thorough preparation ahead of the competition. “To get this win and get the second opportunity to qualify for the World Cup…to have a third African team is a big responsibility.We will work incredibly hard these next couple of months and make sure we are well prepared when we go to Dubai,” he said.  Namibia failed to automatically qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1999, losing to Zimbabwe in the Rugby Africa Cup final. Burger said  lapses in concentration had cost them. “It happened throughout the tournament where we let teams off the hook… we would score and let them score against us. But it is not a matter of the way we play and lack of effort, it is just lapses of concentration throughout the game, and it is something we really need to work on,” he explained. Team captain Prince !Goaseb said the win against the UAE had lifted morale after the loss to Zimbabwe. “It is now a morale booster in the team as everyone now believes World Cup qualification is within reach,” he said.

#Rugby #WorldCup #Namibia #DubaiWorldCup #Welwitschias

Local coaches can take us to the World Cup – NRU Erasmus Shalihaxwe Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president Petrie Theron says there is no need to appoint a foreign coach for the national team to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Theron made the remarks on Tuesday during a press conference in Windhoek while giving updates on the Welwitschias’ World Cup qualifying campaign currently underway in Kampala, Uganda. Namibia failed to secure automatic qualification after a 28–30 loss to Zimbabwe in the Rugby Africa Cup last Saturday.  This marked the first time since 1999 that Namibia has failed to qualify directly for the World Cup. This Saturday, the Welwitschias will face the United Arab Emirates in Uganda.  The winner will move on to a four-nations repechage tournament in Dubai, scheduled for 8 to 18 November 2025.  Namibia could face Belgium, Brazil, and Canada in that tournament. Theron said current head coach Jacques Burger and his technical team have enough experience to lead Namibia through qualification.  He said the coaches have played for the national team in international tournaments, including the World Cup, and have also competed professionally abroad. “We don’t need international coaches; we have got an extremely good coaching staff who have played at multiple World Cups. Some of them have coached at the World Cup level as assistant coaches already. At some stage, you can’t keep on importing international coaches… We need to believe in our own coaches; we need to create a pathway for them. You cannot always keep saying our local coaches are not good enough, especially when they are. We have got coaches who went overseas to expand their experience… so we firmly believe and put full trust in our coaching staff,” Theron said. He expressed full confidence that Namibia will beat UAE and qualify for the repechage tournament. NRU vice president Johan Diergaardt, who also spoke at the briefing, said the union is working to strengthen local club rugby to benefit the national team. “At this stage, one of our weaknesses is club rugby, which we need to strengthen and benefit the national team. Before our leadership, club rugby was neglected. There was no intensity, no real efforts to improve that, and we are now in the process of putting club players in better conditions and club players to get through the pathway of going to the national team,” said Diergaardt.

#RugbyWorldCup #NamibiaRugby #Welwitschias #RugbyAfricaCup #Coaching

Welwitschias scrum for second chance at World Cup Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Welwitschias, the national rugby team, are determined to regroup and refocus following their loss to Zimbabwe in the Rugby Africa Cup final on Saturday. The tightly contested match ended 30–28 in favour of Zimbabwe in Kampala, Uganda.  The win secured Zimbabwe a spot at the 2027 Rugby World Cup, marking their first qualification in 34 years. Namibia, which has featured in every Rugby World Cup since 1999, now risks missing out for the first time since 1996.  However, the team still has a chance to qualify through the intercontinental repechage tournament. Following the loss, the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back and fight for a spot at the tournament, which will be hosted in Australia from October to November 2027.  Namibia is scheduled to face the United Arab Emirates (UAE) this week in Uganda. “The fight is not over. Our boys will regroup, refocus, and come back stronger as we take on the UAE this weekend in Uganda. Let’s rally behind them; the journey continues,” said the NRU.  Rugby Afrique, organisers of  the Rugby Africa Cup, praised Namibia’s performance and sportsmanship during the tournament. “Silver with pride. Namibia may not have claimed the crown, but they walk away with heads held high. A powerful campaign, a proud performance and silver medals that tell the story of resilience and heart,” said Rugby Afrique.

#Rugby #Welwitschias #WorldCup #NamibiaRugby #RugbyAfricaCup

Welwitschias lean on home crowd spirit ahead of Africa Cup final Erasmus Shalihaxwe The national rugby team, the Welwitschias, have called on supporters to rally behind them as they prepare to face Zimbabwe in the Rugby Africa Cup final. The final is set for Saturday at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, where the tournament has been taking place for the past two weeks, featuring several African rugby nations. Speaking on Wednesday, vice-captain Danco Burger thanked sponsors and fans for their support so far and urged them to continue backing the team in the final. “I would love to thank our loyal supporters and sponsors for your immense support these couple of days. I would like to ask again for your support; please rally behind the boys. We are going to need your support against Zimbabwe. I know this final is going to be a massive one; thank you very much,” said Burger. Reflecting on the team’s recent win over Algeria, Burger said it was a tough match that required strength and teamwork. He highlighted that the team’s ability to play cohesively played a crucial role in their victory. “We spoke about the Algerian team’s physicality and the intensity they bring in the back line, and they tested us a couple of times. But the positive thing for us in this was our execution. Our execution level was quite good and high,” he said. Burger added that the team still needs to improve certain tactics to better manage pressure from their opponents. “Obviously there are still a few things that we need to work on to improve our game before we take on Zimbabwe in the final this coming weekend,” he stated. The winner of Saturday’s final will earn automatic qualification to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Namibia has qualified for every World Cup since making its debut in 1999.

#Welwitschias #RugbyAfricaCup #SupportLocal #RugbyFinal #BleedGreen

Welwitschias one win away from World Cup spot Erasmus Shalihaxwe The national rugby team, the Welwitschias, are one win from qualifying the next Rugby Africa Cup final and book their place at the next Rugby World Cup.  Head coach and director of rugby Jacques Burger said the team is focused and ready to finish the job. Burger spoke after Namibia beat Algeria 21–7 in the semi-finals over the weekend.  The tournament is taking place in Kampala, Uganda. Namibia will face Zimbabwe in the final on Saturday. “The match was very tough. Big up to them. They came out and really took the game to us,” Burger said. “But I was extremely proud of what the boys did. Our boys stayed in the fight… especially towards the end. Nobody gave up and that is what we want to do in the final. We want to make teams work. If you want to score against us, then it’s going to take a lot of effort and a lot of work.” He said the team still needs to improve to consistently compete at the international level.  “There is a lot still to grow and improve on, but we take the win, we take the semi-finals win against a good Algerian side. We will reset today, and tomorrow we will be hungry and ready to go again.” Team captain Prince !Goaseb said the match was physically demanding, especially in the opening stages, but the team held firm.  “It was a physical game, especially the first 20 minutes.Algeria was good, but unfortunately we kept pushing through and got things right,” he said.  “I am proud of the boys for what they did and fortunately we got the win. This was really a team effort. We are now going to prepare for the next game, which is the final. We are looking forward to it. It’s going to be a good final and the boys are excited,” said !Goaseb.

#Rugby #Namibia #Welwitschias #RugbyWorldCup #RugbyAfricaCup

Welwitschias crush Senegal in Rugby Africa opener Erasmus Shalihaxwe The national rugby team, the Welwitchias, began their Rugby Africa Cup campaign with a 55–17 win over Senegal on Tuesday in Kampala, Uganda. Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) director Jacques Burger described the match as a tough challenge, saying that playing against Senegal was never going to be easy, but the game was a good test for the players.  “For us it was like a quarter-final. We want it like that, and we want to be better in the next game. Going into the Algeria game, we will definitely work on a lot of things… Basically just cut the errors out, because today we made a lot of mistakes and put ourselves under pressure in situations where we should have been attacking and putting pressure on them, but we just let them off the hook,” said Burger. Burger also highlighted the positives from the match, particularly the introduction of new players in the second half.  “We didn’t have much energy; it was a hot day after we arrived yesterday afternoon, and we didn’t get much sleep. But I am proud of the boys… We got the win; that is all we wanted, and we’ll make sure we improve and be ready for the next game,” he said. Rugby player Prince !Goaseb said the team struggled in the first half, partly due to the weather, but managed to secure a good win.  “The boys picked up pace in the second half, and we managed to get a win. The squad is full of positives; the boys are getting along well in the squad, and we are just going back to the drawing board next week to see how we can best prepare for Algeria,” he said. NRU president Petrie Theron congratulated the team and urged them to focus on qualifying for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.  “Well done guys, great start to the tournament… it is good to feel the heat out there and get used to that humidity weather. Well done for pulling it through, great second half and keep on fighting guys and get us qualify for the World Cup,” said Theron. The winner of the Rugby Africa Cup will qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup and represent the continent alongside South Africa.

#RugbyAfrica #Welwitschias #NamibiaRugby #RugbyUnion #RugbyWin

Huge Battle in Store [Namibian] The Namibian Welwitschias face their toughest test of the season so far when they take on Italy in a rugby test match at the Hage Geingob Stadium at 15h00 this afternoon.

#Namibia #Welwitschias #Rugby #RugbyMatch #SportsNews

Welwitschias starting lineup for Italy game named Erasmus Shalihaxwe Namibia’s national rugby team, the Welwitschias, has named its starting lineup for the international friendly match against Italy on Friday.  The match is the final preparation encounter before the Africa Cup in Uganda, which will take place from 8 to 19 July 2025.  The tournament will also serve as a qualification event for the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup in Australia. The starting line-up includes Haitembu Shikufa, Louise VD Westhuizen, Aronos Coetzee, Adriaan Ludik, Johan Retief, Prince !Goaseb, Max Katjijeko, Adriaan Booysen, Jacques Theron, Tiaan Swanepoel, Jurgen Meyer, Danco Burger, Alcino Izaacs, Danie Merwe, and Andre Burg. This follows after the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president, Petri Theron, announced on Tuesday that former national team player Chrysander Botha has stepped down from his role as head coach due to professional commitments.  Theron assured the rugby community that the union has moved quickly to ensure the team’s preparations continue smoothly for the upcoming Africa Cup.  Darryl de la Harpe, a former Namibian international, has been appointed as technical assistant to the national team.  De la Harpe will support the coaching staff in preparing the team for the tournament. “The NRU remains committed to its long-term goals, including qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia,” Theron said.  “Former captain Jacques Burger will guide the team through the World Cup journey. In his role as director of rugby, Jacques has taken charge of a strong team of coaches focused on preparing the national side for this critical qualification.”

#Welwitschias #NamibiaRugby #RugbyUnion #ItalyRugby #AfricaCup

Botha steps down as Welwitschias coach ahead of Africa Cup - Namibia Economist Botha steps down as Welwitschias coach ahead of Africa Cup  Namibia Economist

#AfricaCup #Welwitschias #Namibia #SportsNews #Rugby

Burger Saves the Day for Welwitschias [Namibian] A last minute penalty by Danco Burger gave the Namibian Welwitschias a rather fortunate 22-19 victory against Uganda at Walvis Bay on Saturday.

#Namibia #Welwitschias #DancoBurger #Rugby #SportsNews

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.

#Welwitschias #AirlinkPumas #HageGeingobStadium #InternationalFriendly #Rugby

Burger saves the day for Welwitschias A last minute penalty by Danco Burger gave the Namibian Welwitschias a rather fortunate 22-19 victory against Uganda at Walvis Bay on Saturday.  The Welwitschias outscored the Ugandan Cranes by three tries to one, but the home side made numerous mistakes, which Uganda used to good advantage, keeping the scoreboard ticking with regular penalties.  Namibia opened the scoring within 10 minutes when flyhalf Danco Burger crashed over for an unconverted try, but Ugandan flyhalf Yasin Wasswa reduced the gap to 5-3 with his first penalty midway through the first half. Another Burger try, converted by Godwin Silvanus, put Namibia 12-3 ahead, but another Wasswa penalty reduced the gap to 12-6 early in the second half.  Uganda took the lead for the first time when replacement flanker Brian Wandera went over for a try converted by substitute flyhalf Liam Walker, and they stretched their lead to 16-12 when Walker added a penalty shortly after. Namibia, however, launched attack after attack, with eighthman Adriaan Booysen, lock Oliver Kurz, and the wings Jurgen Meyer and Quirione Majiedt prominent, and finally regained the lead at 19-16 when hooker Armand Combrinck went over for a converted try from a driving maul.  Another Walker penalty tied the score at 19-19 before Burger completed a fine performance with his 80th minute penalty for a personal haul of 15 points. After the match, Burger, however, said they need to improve their performance if they hope to win the Africa Cup.  “We won’t be able to win the Africa Cup with a performance like this so we will make sure that we are better prepared for the Pumas next weekend. We had a very good start, we wanted a quick start and we got that, but we made too many unnecessary mistakes, we played against ourselves, and Uganda got their tails up and started coming for us. And that’s exactly what will happen at the Africa Cup; if you make a few mistakes you will get points against you,” he said.  “We had some good moments, but our execution wasn’t where we wanted it to be, but it’s a good start, now we know where we are at and we can just build from here on. Like I said, our tight facets were not up to scratch, we lost one or two lineouts, and we got a bit of an uphill battle in the scrums, so we will definitely work on that on Monday again.”  Regarding his winning kick at the end, Burger said he trusted his experience.  “There is always pressure, but I just told myself I’ve been under this type of pressure before. I just placed the ball and told myself to stay calm and to stay low, so then I kicked the ball and just trusted that it would go over, and it did,” he said. Uganda captain Byron Oketayot said they are improving.  “First of all, let me congratulate the Namibian rugby team on the win and for giving us this contest. We are trying to put things together and the results show that we are almost there. We haven’t polished everything yet but we are almost there. Going back home, we will review the video of the match and see where we went wrong. “We came as the underdogs, but it was a good performance and a good contest for us which is a plus. It was a tough contest, but we expected the physicality and we also brought the physicality to the game.  “At the end of the day, we fell short by three points, but it was a good performance by the boys and now we will just go back, review the video, see where we went wrong and then polish that up as we get ready for the World Cup qualifiers,” he said.  The post Burger saves the day for Welwitschias appeared first on The Namibian.

#Rugby #Namibia #Welwitschias #Uganda #RugbyMatch

Exciting Welwitschias squad for Uganda friendly The Namibian Welwitschias will be represented by an exciting blend of youth and experience when they take on Uganda in a friendly international rugby match at Walvis Bay on Saturday. Namibia’s director of rugby, Jacques Burger, yesterday named the Namibian squad which sees five newcomers in the starting 15, as well as several experienced national players. The newcomers are fullback Aston Muukwilongo of recently crowned Premier League champions FNB Kudus; wing Jurgen Meyer of FNB Wanderers; flyhalf Godwin Silvanus, who plays club rugby in Romania; lock Oliver Kurz, who plays in Japan; and prop Otja Auala of the Rhinos Rugby Academy in the Cape province. Besides them, there are several experienced players in the squad like the loose trio of Max Katjijeko, Adriaan Booysen, and Prince !Gaoseb, who will captain the side; the centre combination of Alcino Isaacs and the vice-captain Danco Burger; and the wily scrumhalf Jacques Theron and prop Haitembu Shikufa, who both represented Namibia at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. Burger said he was excited to see how the newcomers will do on Saturday. “We’ve got a very exciting lineup. It’s a good blend of foreign-based and local players, and I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for the newcomers. I think the main idea of playing Uganda first is to get some exposure, to see where they’re at, and to see how we can perform against African teams. African teams offer a different challenge than other teams like the Pumas and Italy – they play a different brand of rugby, so it’s going to be great to get that match time against them. “There are a couple of youngsters coming through, like Otjo Auala, who’s just come back from the Rhino Academy in South Africa, and I’m very excited about him. They said some great things about him, his work ethic, the type of person he is, and I think that’s the main thing: looking at the team list when you see the players and their names, they are good human beings, good players, but also great people, and that’s what we want to do. We want to create a culture where we have great people on and off the field and create that environment where we really care for each other and fight for each other on the pitch. We’ve got talent all over the team, and I’m excited to see everyone out on the pitch,” he said. “The more experienced guys bring back so much value to the younger guys, and I think that combination will shine through this weekend,” he added. “Armand Combrinck plays for Stellenbosch and WP U21 – he’s a young prospect that we want to give an opportunity, and with the guidance of Chukkie (LP van der Westhuizen), to give him that experience and knowledge to grow as a hooker. He’ll become a valuable player for us. “Oliver Kurz plays in Japan; he’s a big boy. He has a good attitude, and it will be great to see him out on the field on Saturday to see what he can do. We want to see what he can bring physically to the pitch; he’s tall, he’s a big boy, who does well in the lineouts, and he’s got a great head on his shoulders. “Godwin Silvanus plays in Romania; he’s got a lot of skills. I think communication is going to be key for him, and that’s why we brought in Andre van den Berg as well, just to give him that guidance and confidence to run the game and to see where he’s at, and possibly get into the mix for the next couple of games and possibly for the Africa Cup as well. So that’s a big opportunity for him as well, which I’m sure he will use. “Aston (Muukwilongo) has been exciting throughout the Premier League; he has played some great attacking rugby, and it will be great to see him in our setup and to see how he manages a team. Decision-making is going to be extremely important at the back; we know he can score tries, we know he’s got speed. He’s a quiet guy who goes about his business, but it’s going to be great to see him in action. Hopefully, he will get some space and some attacking opportunities, and hopefully, we will see some great tries from him,” he said. The Welwitschias team is as follows: Aston Muukwilongo, Jurgen Meyer, Alcino Isaacs, Danco Burger, Quirione Majiedt, Godwin Silvanus, Jacques Theron, Adriaan Booysen, Max Katjijeko, Prince !Gaoseb (captain), Johan Luttig, Oliver Kurz, Haitembu Shikufa, Armand Combrinck, Otja Auala. Reserves: Gerhard Thirion, Jason Benade, Sidney Halupe, Riaan Grove, Peter Diergaardt, AJ Kearns, Daniel van der Merwe, Manfred Garoeb, Owen Havanga, Andre van den Berg. The post Exciting Welwitschias squad for Uganda friendly appeared first on The Namibian.

#Welwitschias #Rugby #Namibia #Uganda #InternationalRugby

Burger rallies support for Welwitschias Erasmus Shalihaxwe Namibia Rugby Union director Jacques Burger has called on all rugby fans to support the national team, the Welwitschias, as they gear up for a series of international matches. Burger said that next weekend will be packed with action as the team faces Uganda on 14 June in Walvis Bay.  They will then play against South Africa’s Airlink Pumas on 21 June at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek, before hosting Italy on 27 June. “Please come and join us to support the rugby team in the build-up to the game against Uganda in Walvis Bay. Then on the 21st of June, we have the Airlink Pumas here at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium, and obviously, I am very excited to be hosting Italy on the 27th of June. So please come and support us, get behind the team and help us get over the line,” said Burger. These matches are part of the team’s preparations for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.  The tournament will take place from 1 October to 13 November and will be the 11th edition of the Men’s Rugby World Cup. Burger said that Namibia is aiming for its eighth straight World Cup appearance.  The team has played in the tournament seven times since its debut in 1999. The Welwitschias have been preparing since the start of the year.  In February, they played against the Boland Cavaliers and lost 54-24. Namibia Rugby Union vice president Johan Diergaardt earlier said the team is focusing on using locally based players to give them international exposure. “Our aim is to give local players as much game-time as possible so that they can compete at the same level as those playing professionally abroad in Europe and other countries,” he said.

#NamibiaRugby #Welwitschias #RugbySupport #RugbyFans #TeamSpirit

Welwitschias' Preparations Take Shape [Namibian] The Namibian Welwitchias will play two matches in Windhoek and one in Walvis Bay in June in preparation for the Africa Cup which takes place in Uganda from 6 to 20 July.

#Welwitschias #AfricaCup #Namibia #Rugby #SportsNews

Welwitschias’ preparations take shape - The Namibian - Welwitschias’ preparations take shape  The Namibian -

#Namibia #Welwitschias #SportsNews #Rugby #NamibianRugby

Welwitschias’ preparations take shape  The Namibian Welwitchias will play two matches in Windhoek and one in Walvis Bay in June in preparation for the Africa Cup which takes place in Uganda from 6 to 20 July.  At a press conference in Windhoek yesterday, Namibia’s Director of Rugby, Jacques Burger said that the local-based Welwitschias will play Uganda at Walvis Bay High School at the coast on 14 June, and the Airlink Pumas at the Hage Geingob Stadium on 21 June. A full-strength Namibian national side will then take on Italy in an international test match at the Hage Geingob Stadium on 27 June.  Burger said they will mostly use local-based players for the Uganda match, while Namibia’s foreign-based professionals will be available for the next matches, depending on when their club seasons finish.  “The reason why we spoke to Uganda is to get a feel of the difference between African rugby and the Africa Cup specifically, and teams like Italy and the Pumas. They’re a bit more set in their ways, a bit more structured, so we’ve got to get used to the way African teams play. They like to throw the ball around and do unpredictable things,” he said.  “We’ll definitely get a camp going and get everybody involved. We’re doing our fitness testing this afternoon at the Windhoek Gymnasium field. We want to make sure that the players are still at the level they were before we left them to go over to their clubs and obviously push from there to see where we’re falling behind, if we’re on the right track and what we can work on,” he added.  “I think the challenge is to bridge the gap between the local players and the foreign-based players. We don’t want to look past players in Namibia, we want to give them a fair opportunity to put up their hand and say, listen, I want to play for this country. That’s why we want to get them in early, to see where we are at. We had a really decent idea of where we were after the Boland game, but its really hard to judge a player on a once-off match. We need to get that continuity building up to the June matches, so we will work hard and make sure that we are well prepared, and once it’s game time, we’ll be firing,” he said.  Burger said there was still a lot of room for improvement in the standard of play in local club rugby. “There’s I think the intensity of the way we play is still at a low level in club rugby, so it’s definitely something that we need to up if we want to compete against the top sides,” he said.  “Wanderers have been dominating the league so far, so we’d like to see a more level playing field and everybody competing hard on weekends. We’d like to see more competitive games leading up to the June matches so that the players are ready for the big matches,” he added.  Namibia’s national u20 side, meanwhile, is hard at work preparing for the Barthes u20 Africa Cup in Harare from 19 to 27 April and Burger said he was excirted about their prospects.  “I’m very excited about the u20 team – a lot of thought has gone into how we can improve our junior level and I think a lot more can be done, and its extremely important that we get the guys ready to step up and assist them,” he said.  “They’ve had two warm-up matches and won both comfortably – 52-0 against the u20 Limpopo Bulls and 37-24 against the u20 Blue Bulls Presidential team, and I think the coaches Johan Zaayman and Jood Opperman are doing a great job and they’ve got a great squad together,” he added.  Burger said they are aiming to win the Barthes Cup.  “It’s extremely important that we send a strong team to the Barthes Cup and make sure that we win it, that’s the main goal – there’s no second place, if we play for second place then we are in the wrong game, we want to win it comfortably,” he said.  “It’s not going to be easy, there’s some strong competition that will be ready to gun for us, everybody is out to gun Namibia down in Africa, but we will go out there and do our best. I’m very confident and I’m excited to see what they can do at the Barthes Cup,” he added. The post Welwitschias’ preparations take shape  appeared first on The Namibian.

#Welwitschias #NamibiaRugby #AFRICACup #RugbyMatch #Windhoek

NRU confirms warm-up matches for Africa Cup preparation Erasmus Shalihaxwe The Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) has announced a series of high-profile warm-up matches for the national team, the Welwitschias, as part of their preparation for the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup and a bid to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. NRU Chief Executive Officer John Heynes confirmed on Tuesday that the matches will begin in June. He said that these games are expected to play a crucial role in building team cohesion and fitness ahead of the continental tournament scheduled for 6–20 July in Uganda. “These matches offer vital preparation and a chance for fans to enjoy top-tier rugby on home soil. The NRU urges all rugby lovers to show up and back the boys as they chase World Cup qualification,” said Heynes. The union hopes the home fixtures will boost fan engagement and build momentum for the national side’s campaign. The Welwitschias are expected to face strong opposition from both African and international teams. NRU director of rugby, Jacques Burger, emphasised the importance of the matches in testing local players’ readiness for the high-intensity demands of international rugby. “There is a lot to improve on. The intensity of international rugby games is higher than that of local games. I was impressed with the level of our games after the Boland Cavaliers game. I can see there is an improvement, but there is still a big gap between our international games,” said Burger. Burger noted that some matches will be hosted in Walvis Bay as part of the NRU’s efforts to bring rugby closer to fans outside Windhoek. He added that future matches could be scheduled in other regions, given the growing interest in the sport. The confirmed match fixtures are: * 14 June: Welwitschias vs Uganda – Walvis Bay High School, Walvis Bay * 21 June: Welwitschias vs Airlink Pumas – Hage Geingob Stadium, Windhoek * 27 June: Namibia vs Italy – Hage Geingob Stadium, Windhoek

#Rugby #AfricaCup #WorldCup #NamibiaRugby #Welwitschias