Captain courageous
Captain Darryl de le Harpe has promised the nation its first win at a Rugby World Cup, when his side takes part in the 2019 edition of the tournament, which will be hosted by Japan.
Namibia's senior national team will once again go hunting for the first Rugby World Cup win ever, when they travel to Japan next year for the Japan edition of the global showpiece.
The tournament is slated for September.
Speaking at a media conference yesterday, centre and team captain Darryl de le Harpe promised they would return from Japan with a win.
The team has just returned from an end-of-year European tour in which they won against Portugal and lost against Russia and Spain.
Namibia is drawn in Pool B at japan 2019, together with rugby powerhouses New Zealand and South Africa, as well as Italy and Canada.
They hope to overcome Canada and Italy in their group.
“Canada qualified after beating Kenya, so now we are focusing on beating them and Italy. It is possible, considering our scores during the European tour,” De la Harpe said confidently.
He said they picked up some valuable lessons from their tour matches and achieved some of their goals.
“The matches were good as they offered players game time; we got a chance to play new opponents and not our usual neighbours. From here onwards we won't back down from the challenges and work on our strategies. Nothing will derail us from playing rugby,” said De le Harpe.
He said five players earned international caps during the tour and that with the support of the nation, they will continue to reach new heights.
Johann Tromp said the tour helped them bond, as they only see each other at training.
“We just train together; after that every guy goes his own way, but it was different because we shared rooms and this gave an opportunity for us to get to know each other and learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses.”
Tromp said there are many young players in the squad, who are teaching him new things. “It's never too late to learn. The more experienced players bring the brains to the team, whereas the younger players bring flair. They are full of energy and this boosts us a lot,” he said.
Team manager Irvin Newman said the squad would have won more matches if they had been better prepared. “The results would have been different if we had better preparation, but we made use of the situation in any case. We are in the pool of death; we are not going to Japan to participate, but to win.”
He added that as the festive season approaches every player has a gym schedule to follow.
“We are monitoring each player and they know the targets set for the nation.” Newman added that so far 20 World Cup tickets have already been purchased by 20 people from the Hardap Region, who will be travelling to watch the team play. Others interested in purchasing tickets t can contact Namibia Rugby Limited.
Namibia will not lay idle and wait for next year, but will use the SuperSport Rugby Challenge that starts in April, as well as the Nations Cup, to prepare for the Japan Rugby World Cup. They will also play South African teams like the Griquas and Blue Bulls home and away.
The tournament is slated for September.
Speaking at a media conference yesterday, centre and team captain Darryl de le Harpe promised they would return from Japan with a win.
The team has just returned from an end-of-year European tour in which they won against Portugal and lost against Russia and Spain.
Namibia is drawn in Pool B at japan 2019, together with rugby powerhouses New Zealand and South Africa, as well as Italy and Canada.
They hope to overcome Canada and Italy in their group.
“Canada qualified after beating Kenya, so now we are focusing on beating them and Italy. It is possible, considering our scores during the European tour,” De la Harpe said confidently.
He said they picked up some valuable lessons from their tour matches and achieved some of their goals.
“The matches were good as they offered players game time; we got a chance to play new opponents and not our usual neighbours. From here onwards we won't back down from the challenges and work on our strategies. Nothing will derail us from playing rugby,” said De le Harpe.
He said five players earned international caps during the tour and that with the support of the nation, they will continue to reach new heights.
Johann Tromp said the tour helped them bond, as they only see each other at training.
“We just train together; after that every guy goes his own way, but it was different because we shared rooms and this gave an opportunity for us to get to know each other and learn about each other's strengths and weaknesses.”
Tromp said there are many young players in the squad, who are teaching him new things. “It's never too late to learn. The more experienced players bring the brains to the team, whereas the younger players bring flair. They are full of energy and this boosts us a lot,” he said.
Team manager Irvin Newman said the squad would have won more matches if they had been better prepared. “The results would have been different if we had better preparation, but we made use of the situation in any case. We are in the pool of death; we are not going to Japan to participate, but to win.”
He added that as the festive season approaches every player has a gym schedule to follow.
“We are monitoring each player and they know the targets set for the nation.” Newman added that so far 20 World Cup tickets have already been purchased by 20 people from the Hardap Region, who will be travelling to watch the team play. Others interested in purchasing tickets t can contact Namibia Rugby Limited.
Namibia will not lay idle and wait for next year, but will use the SuperSport Rugby Challenge that starts in April, as well as the Nations Cup, to prepare for the Japan Rugby World Cup. They will also play South African teams like the Griquas and Blue Bulls home and away.
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