A year filled with possibilities for Namibian Rugby
Rugby
The Namibia Rugby Union has set plans in motion and is confident that the country will qualify for another World Cup
While many remain skeptical about Namibia’s chances to qualify for another World Cup, the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) is confident and has set plans in motion to ensure that this actually happens.A busy year awaits for players from the Land of the Brave with preparations to qualify at the African Cup Qualifiers in Uganda from 10 to 24 July for the 2027 World Cup in Australia, commencing on home soil with the MTC Regional 15s Competition.
Game time
The aim is to elevate the senior men's Regional 15s Competition as a crucial platform to assess and develop players while building momentum for the Africa Cup as an integral part of Namibia's World Cup qualification campaign.
This tournament consists of three events with the first scheduled for Windhoek on 28 February, the second at the coast in Walvis Bay on 1 March, and the final competition in Windhoek on 8 March.
“The Senior Regional Men's Competition has been long overdue and was part of Namibian rugby, 15 years ago. The original plan was to launch this competition with six regional teams. The best in Namibia will be competing against each other to hopefully make it into the national team on this platform which seeks to narrow the gap between rugby at club level and international level. The NRU is now preparing, not just to participate but to compete in Australia,” emphasised Christian Windvogel the NRU vice president for Governance.
Format
The format of the competition will see players of the nine Premier League clubs and a fourth team that will be selected from Under-20 players. All the players from the various teams will be divided into the three regional teams.
“We have 104 local players and started the process to make sure they also reach the same standard when it comes to fitness and conditioning as that of the players who compete internationally, in 2022. We know that we are not where we want to be when it comes to the fitness and conditioning of players competing on club level,” explained John Heynes the CEO of the NRU.
Non stop action
The Club Leagues will kick off on 15 March. The Welwitschias could possibly play two away friendly matches on April (19th) and May (30th). They will also tackle the Stormers, Sharks or Lions on 7 June in South Africa before taking on the Blue Bulls at home on 18 June in Swakopmund and on 21 June in Windhoek.
Western Province (to be confirmed) could visit the Hage Geingob Stadium on 28 June in Windhoek. By then Namibians will probably know who the players selected to ensure the country qualifies for another Rugby World Cup are, with an announcement in this regard due on 30 June and after this game.
The action will continue with the second edition of the Ongos Sevens tournament slated for Luderitz on 23 August, Walvis Bay on 27 September and the final in Windhoek on 24 and 25 October.
The quarter finals of the NSSR Schools Leagues is scheduled for 22 and 23 August, The semi final round for 29 and 30 August with the final round scheduled for 5 and 5 September. The second edition of the Regional 15s Tournament could possibly be played in February 2025.