RWC repechage detour – strap in for a bumpy ride

Picking up the scraps from failing to secure the most direct route to World Cup qualification as Rugby Africa’s number one team has not been a situation Namibia has found itself in for three decades, since the almost forgotten 1994 tour to Morocco.Last Saturday, the Sables from Zimbabwe deservedly won back-to-back test matches against the Welwitschias for the first time in their nation’s history – famously booking a return to the Rugby World Cup in Australia in 2027.Saturday’s tense 28-30 loss in Kampala means that the Namibian team needs to remain in Uganda’s capital for another week, to play the United Arab Emirates in an eliminator, with only the winner surviving to compete against three remaining contenders in November for a single RWC spot.Available personnelThe logistical nightmare that the Emirates play-off entails meant that neither Namibia nor Zimbabwe would have been wanting to make provision for in their preparations last week.Having already played three matches in the Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala since 8 July, some players may be expected to return to their professional overseas clubs for pre-season preparations, while amateur players Namibia head coach and director of rugby Jacques Burger yesterday replied to enquiries saying the team management was actively addressing the issues around players’ availability. Burger did not yet confirm whether players from outside would need to be flown in this week, but vowed that the squad will recover from this painful blow to remain in the fight for qualification.Blowing new live into the competitive nature of Rugby Africa’s qualifiers has obviously not been aligned with Namibia’s interests, although players and decision makers in the local game would need to come to grips with the fact that the long-established Namibian “birth right” of qualifying for World Cups is now up for grabs.TENSE RIVALRYThe Sables, coached by Zimbabwean-born Piet Benade and fuelled by self-belief from last year’s 32-10 success against Namibia in the Rugby Africa Cup semi-final on the same Kampala field, simply refused to buckle against their arch-rivals, as the teams found themselves deadlocked at 16-16 at halftime.Namibia had hoped for a solid base in the set pieces, but instead saw Zimbabwe starving them of possession in the first half.Lack of accuracy in Jacques Theron’s passing game from scrumhalf spread to more individual handling mistakes elsewhere, while starting hooker Louis van der Westhuizen’s struggles to consistently find his lineout jumpers with straight throws in this tournament exposed another Achilles heel.Theron served ten minutes in the sin bin after 23 minutes of the first half, before receiving another nasty knock to the head while tackling Zimbabwe’s powerful inside centre Kudzai Mashawi and leaving the field for a head injury assessment.Namibia captain Prince !Gaoseb scored Namibia’s only try of the first half while the Sables were also reduced to 14 with their number 8 Jason Fraser.From the halftime deadlock, Zimbabwe raced to a 30-16 lead by the 58th minute through tries by lock Godfrey Muzanargwo and centre Brandon Mudzekenyedzi.Namibia – boosted by the introduction of AJ Kearns and Tiaan Swanepoel as halfbacks – responded with scores from left wing Jay-Cee Nel and nr 8 Adriaan Booysen, narrowing the gap to just two points with ten minutes remaining. The troublesome lack of depth at prop came to the fore immediately after the young Otja Auala and veteran Aranos Coetzee were replaced by Jason Benade and Haitembu Shikufa in a vital 76th-minute scrum penalty.Against a slight wind, Swanepoel had one late match-winning opportunity with a long-range penalty from two metres behind the halfway line after 77 minutes, but the kick sailed away to the left.The result ends Namibia’s streak of seven consecutive direct World Cup qualifications, dating back to 1999. Zimbabwe now joins South Africa as Africa’s direct qualifiers for the expanded 24-team tournament at Australia 2027.WHAT NAMIBIA NOW NEEDS&bull; To remain in contention for RWC 2027 qualification, Namibia first needs to win an eliminator against the United Arab Emirates in Kampala on Saturday. The Emirates were beaten 22-62 by Zimbabwe in Dubai in November last year.&bull; The winner will proceed to the Final Qualification Tournament (Dubai in November) to contest one available spot against Belgium, Brazil and Canada.

RWC repechage detour – strap in for a bumpy ride

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Republikein 2025-07-21

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RWC repechage detour – strap in for a bumpy ride

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