The future of Namibian rugby looks bright after the new-look Welwitschias Invitational team lost a thriller 50-47 to the Vodacom Blue Bulls on Saturday.
With about 90 percent of the squad made up of local-based players and an average age of about 25, the Welwitschias dug deep as they ran a strong Bulls outfit close in a match that went down to the wire.
The Bulls, who featured about half of their recently named Currie Cup squad, as well as upcoming u23 players, threatened to run away with the match as they built up commanding leads, but the Welwitschias played with passion and pride and fought back each time. The Welwitschias, in fact, were on the verge of a great victory when they took a 47-43 lead in the dying minutes, but the Bulls had the final say as a last minute try by Melt Viljoen gave them a narrow win.
In a tremendous match of fluctuating fortunes, the Welwitschias opened the scoring with a Wiks Tromp penalty but the Bulls immediately struck back with a try by flanker Abongile Nonkontwana converted by Keegan Johannes.
Danco Burger restored Namibia’s lead, breaking through several tackles to crash over for a converted try but the Bulls regained the lead at 12-10 when Johannes sent Hakeem Kunene over in the corner.
The momentum swung back to the Welwitschias who went 13-12 ahead after a Tromp penalty, but the Bulls struck back with tries by JJ Motlhodi and Jonathan Eloff to go 24-13 ahead.
The Welwitschias came storming back as hooker Obert Nortje crashed over from a driving maul to narrow the deficit to 24-20 at halftime.
Danco Burger took over Namibia’s kicking duties after the break, putting over an early penalty to make the score 24-23, but the Bulls once again pulled away with Motlhodi going over for a second try and another by Cephas van Biljon to take a commanding 38-23 lead.
Spurred on by their substitutes, the Welwitschias, however, launched a tremendous comeback to bring the home crowd up onto its feet and keep the contest alive.
Johan Luttig crashed over from a driving maul and although the Bulls went 43-30 ahead with a try by Shaun Schurmann, the Welwitschias struck back with some scintillating tries.
Elzandro van Wyk went over after a fine run down the line by Edward Drotsky; Manfed Garoeb touched down after a fast flowing backline attack; and when Jaylon Carew cut through the backline to dive over under the posts, the Welwitschias were suddenly 47-43 ahead.
The Bulls, however, had the final say when Viljoen rounded off a quick backline attack and with Brooklyn Newman adding the conversion they sealed a thrilling three-point victory.
It was a great performance by the home side with established internationals like Prince !Gaoseb, Adriaan Booysen, Max Katjijeko and Danco Burger and budding new stars like Wiks Tromp, SW Kuhn, Manfred Garoeb, Jaylon Carew and Kistings Minyoi putting in impressive performances.
After the match Katjijeko said he was proud of their effort.
“Our hearts were all over the place in the beginning but big ups to the boys and especially the youngsters who stepped up to the challenge. We knew it was going to be a tough match, but the boys almost pulled it through and it was a great game,” he said.
“I’m very proud of the youngsters because every time they scored we caught back up and it just shows the potential and the talent we have right here in Namibia. If you look at this squad, 90 percent of the guys are local based payers so it shows that the talent is here and we just need to keep on working. I think Namibian rugby is on an upward curve now and although there is still a lot of work to be done, I’m happy with the progress that we are making,” he added.
The president of the Namibia Rugby Union, Petri Theron said he was optimistic about the future.
“It was a fantastic match and the youngsters really put up their hands. I think it will give them a lot of belief that we have the talent, and with a bit of extra skills training we will get there. It’s important for us to build new depth so that we can qualify for the 2031 world cup,” he said.
