Window of opportunity
Window of opportunity

Window of opportunity

The Windhoek Draught Welwitschias go into their 2019 SuperSport Rugby Challenge match against the Leopards tomorrow after suffering four losses in a row, but will be eager to blood a host of talented club players.
Limba Mupetami
The Windhoek Draught Welwitschias will play their fifth match in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge against the Leopards tomorrow at the Hage Geingob Stadium.

The match is scheduled to kick off at 16:00. Prior to the match, a curtain-raiser will take place between Nust and Grootfontein Rugby Club at 12:00.

National head coach Phil Davies and club coaches led by Johan Diergaardt have put together a squad of talented club players who will not only play this coming Saturday, but also feature in the remaining SuperSport Rugby Challenge matches.

The rest of the players will be travelling to the World Rugby Nations Cup, where Namibia play Argentina on 4 June, and will not be available for tomorrow's match.

According to a statement by Namibia Rugby Limited, for the past months the playing squad and management have been working together with premier league clubs, while preparing for the SuperSport Rugby Challenge.

All premiership matches have also been played with the aim of developing closer links with club players and coaches, in order to ultimately support Namibia's 2019 Japan World Cup build-up.

“The key outcome from this working collaboration has been to build a playing and management team in order to have a smooth transition into the final two SuperSport Challenge matches, when the national team departs for the Nations Cup on 31 May.

“As coach, my intention has consistently been to work in collaboration with club coaches and players, in order to extend the talent pool available.

“I firmly believe that this has been a superb partnership and my sincere thanks go out to all the respective clubs for their invaluable support and contribution. The process is a great example for all within Namibian rugby; coming together in order to support the build-up to the World Cup,” Diergaardt said.

“We look forward to further extending our pool of talent during these said final SuperSport Challenge matches and during the upcoming Nations Cup, in order to finalise and select our preliminary World Cup squad on 20 June.

In addition, these next few weeks are a fantastic opportunity for all the players involved to stake a claim for the 50-man World Cup training squad, said Davies.

The entrance fee for adults tomorrow is N$50 if you buy before the match and N$70 at the gate. The entrance fee for children is N$10 and N$20 at the gate. VIP suite tickets cost N$200 per person.

Tickets are available at www.webtickets.com.na and Pick n Pay outlets.



The squad is as follows: Nian Berg, Simon Kanime, Roderique Victor, Gerhard Thirion, Calla Freygang, Quintin Esterhuizen, Denzil van Wyk, Enzio Kotzee, Rheinhardt Carelse, Jandre Lamprecht, Peter Diergaardt, Gilad Plaatjies, Berry Gande, Driaan Vorster, Mogamat Emamdien, Stef Botha, JC Winkler, Jay-C Olivier, Henrique Olivier, Justin Nel, Hanreco van Zyl, Camlo Martin, Milaan van Wyk, Brandon Groenewald, Jamie Joseph, Russell van Wyk, Nikin Cloete, Tuna Amutenya, Mahco Prinsloo, Lorenzo Louis and Ricardo Swartz.

LIMBA MUPETAMI

Comments

Namibian Sun 2024-11-23

No comments have been left on this article

Please login to leave a comment

Katima Mulilo: 20° | 36° Rundu: 20° | 37° Eenhana: 22° | 36° Oshakati: 25° | 35° Ruacana: 22° | 36° Tsumeb: 23° | 36° Otjiwarongo: 22° | 35° Omaruru: 23° | 36° Windhoek: 23° | 34° Gobabis: 23° | 35° Henties Bay: 14° | 19° Swakopmund: 14° | 16° Walvis Bay: 13° | 20° Rehoboth: 23° | 35° Mariental: 24° | 38° Keetmanshoop: 24° | 39° Aranos: 28° | 38° Lüderitz: 13° | 25° Ariamsvlei: 23° | 40° Oranjemund: 13° | 21° Luanda: 25° | 26° Gaborone: 22° | 36° Lubumbashi: 17° | 32° Mbabane: 18° | 31° Maseru: 16° | 32° Antananarivo: 17° | 31° Lilongwe: 22° | 33° Maputo: 23° | 31° Windhoek: 23° | 34° Cape Town: 17° | 27° Durban: 20° | 25° Johannesburg: 19° | 31° Dar es Salaam: 26° | 32° Lusaka: 22° | 33° Harare: 21° | 31° #REF! #REF!