Diergaardt appointed new rugby coach

Johan Diergaardt has been appointed as the caretaker coach of Namibia’s national rugby team.

The Namibia Rugby Union, which announced Diergaardt’s appointment in a press release on Monday, said that he would be assisted by Hakkies Louw. Diergaardt formerly coached Namibian Premier League club Western Suburbs, while he was also chairman of the national selectors committee.Louw was formerly coach of Reho Falcons, who won the Namibian Premier League last year, although Louw had left them by then.Last year Louw was the assistant to national coach Johan Venter, before Venter was fired by the Namibia Rugby Union for bringing the game into disrepute.Venter allegedly failed to attend a function in honour of the Rugby World Cup and was fired, and replaced by Hakkies Husselmann.Husselmann took Namibia to the Rugby World Cup where they lost all their Pool matches against Argentina, France, Ireland and Georgia.Husselmann reapplied for the post but was not selected.The NRU are also in the process of appointing a new team manager after the previous manager Sarel Losper was relinquished of his duties at the end of the World Cup.The chief executive officer of the NRU, Christo Alexander told Namibia Sport that they had approached the Namibian government to help raise funds for the appointment of a foreign national coach.If successful, he will serve as the head coach with Diergaardt and Louw as his understudies.Meanwhile, the NRU announced that a group of 36 Under 20 national team players would gather in Windhoek on March 6, before leaving to take part in a rugby tournament in Oranjemund the following day.In Oranjemund, Namibia’s U20s will play against South Africa’s Northwest Cape and Namaqualand teams.After the tournament a final list of 26 players will be selected in preparation for the IRB U20 Junior World Cup which takes place in April in Chile.www.namibiasport.com.naDiergaardt formerly coached Namibian Premier League club Western Suburbs, while he was also chairman of the national selectors committee.Louw was formerly coach of Reho Falcons, who won the Namibian Premier League last year, although Louw had left them by then.Last year Louw was the assistant to national coach Johan Venter, before Venter was fired by the Namibia Rugby Union for bringing the game into disrepute.Venter allegedly failed to attend a function in honour of the Rugby World Cup and was fired, and replaced by Hakkies Husselmann.Husselmann took Namibia to the Rugby World Cup where they lost all their Pool matches against Argentina, France, Ireland and Georgia.Husselmann reapplied for the post but was not selected.The NRU are also in the process of appointing a new team manager after the previous manager Sarel Losper was relinquished of his duties at the end of the World Cup.The chief executive officer of the NRU, Christo Alexander told Namibia Sport that they had approached the Namibian government to help raise funds for the appointment of a foreign national coach.If successful, he will serve as the head coach with Diergaardt and Louw as his understudies.Meanwhile, the NRU announced that a group of 36 Under 20 national team players would gather in Windhoek on March 6, before leaving to take part in a rugby tournament in Oranjemund the following day.In Oranjemund, Namibia’s U20s will play against South Africa’s Northwest Cape and Namaqualand teams.After the tournament a final list of 26 players will be selected in preparation for the IRB U20 Junior World Cup which takes place in April in Chile.www.namibiasport.com.na