Learning curve

Namibia will play their final match of an end-of-year European tour against Portugal tomorrow, after losing encounters against Russia and Spain.Russia beat Namibia 47-20, while Spain humbled the visitors 34-13.However, according to head coach Phil Davies the team had ample time to prepare for their last match and adapted well in training to the very wet conditions. “The past week has seen several quality training sessions in preparation for the match, focusing and prioritising on areas that can be improved from the previous game; for example, the lineouts, mauls and ball retention. “Several guests came into the camp in support of the players and World Rugby in particular has been a great help in Portugal,” said Davies.“This will again be a tough match for our young squad. However, we are going in with the mindset of looking to improve performance and to win. It has been a successful year for the national team with World Cup qualification gained in record fashion for the squad.” The head coach said six changes were made for tomorrow's match. “Cliven Loubser and PW Steenkamp are fit so they come back for the match; we are looking at a different lock and back-three combination with young Adriaan Ludik pairing with experienced lock Tjiuee Uanivi. We have also selected young Chad Plato to play in a new back-three combination with the more experienced Chrysander Botha and Johann Tromp. “It has been a good tour and one that has challenged the players both on and off the field. I also hope it was an enjoyable one for all; it has certainly provided us with increased knowledge of how people react to different conditions and the circumstances of day-to-day touring pressures. “This will be invaluable as we build for the World Cup in Japan in 2019; it has certainly challenged everyone and created an understanding of rugby in the northern hemisphere and how physical and quick the game is in this part of the world,” Davies added.He said he was satisfied with the discipline and manner in which the players adapted to the playing philosophy.“The country should be proud of the team's efforts on this tour, as the squad is certainly growing.”Davies explained the selection criteria for the squad, saying it was based on the tour aims, which are to build outstanding young players, re-establish the playing philosophy, and be competitive in every test played, as well as offer game time to every player. He added that Johnny Lacey, a tier 1 referee, was present at their training sessions and was helpful with refereeing sessions, along with law education sessions, to help grow the players' knowledge of trends leading up to the 2019 World Cup. In addition Calvin Morris, a World Rugby member of staff, offered support to the strength and conditioning team, as well as the medical staff, and also assisted Namibia with its World Cup programme planning.Morris was an England member of staff when they won the World Cup in 2003 and more recently for British cycling at the Rio Olympics. His knowledge of planning and preparation for world-class tournaments is immense and extremely valuable. The team also met John Hooper, who is the kit sponsor. The Namibian team is as follows:Casper Viviers, Obert Nortje, AJ de Klerk, Adriaan Ludick, Tjiuee Uanivi, Thomasau Forbes, Max Katjijeko, Rohan Kitshoff (vice-captain), Damian Stevens, Cliven Loubser, Johann Tromp, Darryl de la Harpe (captain), JC Greyling, Chad Plato and Chrysander Botha.The replacements are Niel van Vuuren, Andre Rademeyer, Desiderius Sethie, Ruan Ludick, Cameron Langenhoven, TC Kisting, PW Steenkamp and Justin Newman. The standby replacements are Janry du Toit, Henrique Olivier, Jason Benade and Wihan Von Wielligh. The match will kick off at 17:00 Namibian time.LIMBA MUPETAMI

Learning curve

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-20

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Learning curve

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Namibian Sun 2025-08-20

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