Clash of the Ages as Wanderers meet Kudus

A clash of the ages lies in store tomorrow when FNB Wanderers and FNB Kudus battle it out for the Rugby Premier League trophy at the Hage Geingob Stadium.
The defending champions Wanderers enter the match as the favourites, as it is their fourth consecutive final, while it’s the first time since Namibia’s independence that Kudus have reached the final.
Wanderers have won two of the last three titles, while they are the most successful club since Namibia’s independence in 1990 with 12 titles.
They have also been the form team this season as they swept all aside in the league, winning all eight of their matches with a total score of 439 points for and 120 against, or at an average of 54-15 per match.
They only met Kudus once in the league, winning a tough encounter 28-10 at Walvis Bay last month, while they go into the final off last weekend’s comprehensive 39-14 victory against United in the semis.
Kudus, on the other hand, lost two matches in the league, the other one being a narrow 32-31 defeat to United, but they finished well clear of the rest of the pack in second place.
They had to overcome a strong challenge in their semifinal last weekend before beating Grootfontein 32-27, but have now reached the final for the first time and will be highly motivated to create more history.
Wanderers’ director of rugby Dirk Human said they are expecting a tough battle.
“We know that Kudus is a well-balanced side and they also performed well this year; they had a tough battle against Grootfontein last weekend and just narrowly won, so I expect the same against us in the final.
“It will be interesting to see how Kudus handle the pressure of being in the final for the first time. I think we are a bit better prepared and more used to it, if you consider that we’ve reached the final for the past few years and are also the defending champions.
But we take nothing away from Kudus, and obviously, we still have to pitch and do our part, and hopefully, the plan we have and its execution will work out well. So good luck to Kudus as well and may the best team win,” he added.
Human said they have made a few changes to their team but it’s mostly the same as their semifinal line-up.
“We’ve got a few changes but the majority of the team stays the same. Luckily we don’t have serious injuries except for our two props Joshwin (Solomon) and Jayden (van Zyl) who are still doubtful. We will take a look at tonight’s practice and make a decision, but they will play from the bench in any case.” “The starting 15 is the same except for Danie van der Merwe who comes in at 13 with Nandi (Karuuombe) moving to the wing at 14, replacing Owen (Havenga) who will go to the bench. Rainier (Augustyn) is also back on the bench after he couldn’t play for the past two weeks, so the rest of the guys are fit to go and I believe we are ready for the final,” he said.
Kudus could not be reached for comment, but their secretary Wilfred Muller has previously said that confidence is high in the Kudus camp, and they can definitely expect strong support from their faithful travelling fans.
The Premier League final kicks off at 15h45 and will be preceded by the Reserve League final, between FNB Kudus 2 and FNB Unam 2 at 14h00, while the day’s activities will start with the women’s final between FNB Unam Steenbokkies and Trustco United Gemsbokkies at 12h30.

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