Results will speak for themselves at RWC
Allister Coetzee has copped a fair amount of flak for the selections (and non-selections) in his squad going to France – as every coach at every Rugby World Cup knows firsthand.Much of the complaints on social media could be clearly seen through a partisan view point
In his column published in Rapport yesterday, former South West Africa coach and Maties guru Dok Gerrit Pool was specifically critical of Namibia’s inclusion of 29-year-old former Wallabies flanker Richard Hardwick in the World Cup squad.
“If there’s one thing that makes me see red, it’s when officials sacrifice players in their own interest. That’s exactly what Allister Coetzee did here,” Pool writes.
“Technically, Hardwick could be selected because he was born in Namibia. However, he grew up in Australia and his connection with and contribution to Namibian rugby is nil. What will he do after the World Cup? Return to Australia?
“Mind you, I have no problem with Namibians who have to live outside Namibia for long periods of time due to studies or work and are selected for the national team. After all, their roots are still in the country.
“How must the Namibian players feel who travel thousands of kilometres every year to play rugby and are actually the people who keep the game going in the country?”
Pool points out that Namibia (then SWA) was a force in South African rugby during the late 1980s until the mid-1990s – an era during which he himself was instrumental along with the late Henning Snyman in moulding successful teams known for playing intelligent, skillful and uncompromising rugby.
“European teams like Italy (and Ireland) were easily beaten (in 1991). But in the new dispensation after independence, the civil service, the police and the army and, to a lesser extent, the business community as a breeding ground for rugby began to wane and in some cases almost disappear.”
“This, together with the beginning of the professional era, caused more and more players to continue their careers outside the country. Domestically, rugby was kept going by the financial support of World Rugby.
“In the process, coaches were appointed who did not always have an understanding of the internal rugby politics and difficult local conditions in which the game was played. Important screening structures such as the sub-unions were abolished and the emphasis shifted to the clubs in accordance with the European model.
“In terms of quality and prestige, the team’s standing internationally has declined. Although Namibia has participated in every World Cup since 1999, they have not won a game so far.
“Against this background, I would like to know what Coetzee wants to achieve with his Australian selection. For me, the better option would have been to offer a genuine Namibian the opportunity on the world stage. Back home, he would at least be able to plow back his experience at his club.”
While there is obvious merit in much of the respected Dok Pool’s opinion here, as a sports writer I could point out that since Hardwick entered the frame last year and made his test debut against Spain in November, he seems to have been accepted smoothly into the national team set-up, while I have also not experienced any real resistance from local rugby lovers, even in informal chats.
It’s worth remembering how David Wiese could also rightly have been seen as unworthy of being selected for the Namibia Eagles at even closer to the eleventh hour before the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup in Australia.
And look how spectacular that move turned out.
Wherever the Namibian squad members are from, rugby lovers would expect nothing less from every individual than fully putting their full energy and their bodies on the line and to do everything in their power to make the nation proud.