Namibia places second in Barthés Cup

Namibia under-20 national team coach Chrysander Botha has hailed Namibia for reaching the final of the Africa Under-20 Barthés Cup, despite not winning the competition.

Zimbabwe beat the local boys 19-14 to win the competition in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday.

“It was not was not the result we wanted, going down by five goals, but progressing to the final is a big achievement for the boys.

I think we showed a lot of character and heart in the match, which was not played in the best of circumstances given the weather and all.

“We did good things at times and, also in the same breath, we did silly things where we did not back ourselves,” Botha said.

Hats off to Zim

Zimbabwe had taken 11-6 lead at half-time and converted turnover tries after Namibia’s defence was often caught napping.

The two teams, however, pushed each other to the limit, with Zimbabwe proving the better team at the end.

“Hats off to Zimbabwe because I think they played really well and took the opportunities that were on offer at the time.

The turnover tries that they scored against us were a result of us not looking well over the ball with a mix back,” the coach added.

He is also confident that the players have gained experience going forward.

Botha further lauded Namibians for the support, which he believes motivated the team in the competition.

Other results:

For the third place spot, Kenya beat Madagascar 49-15, while Tunisia battled it out against Uganda for the fifth spot, defeating them 24-11. Zambia beat Ivory Coast 22-8 to earn the seventh spot.