Building up Welwitschias

The Namibia national rugby union team, the Welwitschias, will face the South African rugby union team, the Griquas, at the Dr Hage Geingob Cup tomorrow.

The much-anticipated match will kick off at 16:00, with gates set to open at 13:00.

Head coach of the side, Allister Coetzee, expressed his happiness to be in Namibia. "To prepare for a game against the Griquas is exciting times. This is in preparation for the tour to Spain and Amsterdam, where we will play Canada.

"It’s great to see the boys after the July qualifying round, which we played in France. It’s great to be back as a group. We have our best possible squad. About three players, Aranos Coetzee, Torsten van Jaarsveld and captain Johan Deysel are not with us but they will join the team in Europe. Preparations are going well at the moment, I’m pleased," he said.

Upcoming tour

Coetzee added that every match they play and time they spend together needs to count and amount to something.

"We have 11 months to the World Cup next year, and you know time flies, and whenever we get together as a group, it’s crucial that we improve as a team."

He added that Saturday is one of those matches that will be used as a building block in terms of team preparations for the World Cup.

"It’s important for the boys to step up, and I have no doubt that they look forward to the opportunity to perform well. I’m looking forward to a great game. Good set pieces and scrums, and to hold our own, score tries and use our opportunities."

Future plans

The head coach added that there is more in store for players.

"We are working on the next cycle, which is 2027, so competitions like the Craven Week, the under-20 tournament, and the Currie Cup are competitions we need to play and use to grow our players and to build depth as we go forward.

‘‘The Namibia Rugby Union has done well to be allowed back in those competitions, and I’m looking forward to the planning and working with the local coaches so that we field good teams going forward," Coetzee said.

What to expect

The Namibians will face Canada and the Netherlands later this month as part of their preparations for the World Cup. In the upcoming Rugby World Cup, Namibia is drawn against New Zealand, host France, Italy and Uruguay. The country is yet to win a match, with this being their seventh consecutive Rugby World Cup after beating Kenya (36-0) in the Rugby Africa Cup in July.

Windhoek Draught Griquas team list:

Eddie Davids (loose head prop), Gustav du Rand (hooker), Justin Forwood (tight head Prop), Mihlali Stamper (left lock), Albert Liebenberg (right lock), Thabo Ndimande (left flanker), Stephan Smit (right flanker), Els Carl (number 8), Bobby Alexander (scrum half), George Whitehead (fly half), Luther Obi (left wing), Eduard Fouche (left centre), Tertius Kruger (right centre), Specman Roscko (right wing), Jay Cee Nel (full back).

Replacements: Simon Westraadt, Cebo Dlamini, Janu Botha, Muzanargwo Godfrey (replacement), Otto Niel, Amiras Michael, Raegan Oranje, Ashlon Davids, Janco Uys, Sean Swart, Dube Kudzwai and Johan Mulder.