Two huge encounters are in store this weekend when the 10th round of the Namibia Rugby Premier League takes place.
Log leaders FNB Grootfontein travel to Windhoek to take on third-placed FNB Wanderers, while second-placed Montego United travel to the coast to take on the fourth-placed defending champions FNB Kudus.
Grootfontein narrowly beat Wanderers 37-32 in their first round encounter at Grootfontein and tomorrow’s match should once again be a close affair.
That was Wanderers’ only defeat so far this season and their coach, Darryl de la Harpe, says they are aiming to correct their mistakes of that encounter.
“They beat us in the first round on their home ground but now we are at home so we are looking forward to this one. We had a couple of youngsters playing their first match for the first team and we made some silly mistakes at ruck time and got penalised a lot.
“In the second half we came back well and got our lineout going and we could have won the match off the last lineout but we were not successful. We worked on a lot of things from that game so we are looking forward to Saturday’s game, so that we can correct those mistakes,” he says.
“We have a few players with niggles and Wiks Tromp is not available after he injured his shoulder against the Blue Bulls, but otherwise we are at full strength and our national players are available.
Our scrumhalf, Dominique (Isaacs), is unavailable – he’s with the national under-20 squad preparing for the Barthes Cup, but Jacques Theron is back after a long lay-off so he will start off the bench,” he adds.
De la Harpe says there is still a long way to go in the league.
“The title race is very interesting and it’s quite tight at the top, but obviously you don’t win the league – you win the cup, so you can still end fourth in the league and win the cup. But I think the fact that the title race is so close shows that there are good players spread across all the clubs and the coaching is also strong, so anything can still happen,” he says.
Grootfontein captain Wicus Jacobs says they are expecting a tough match.
“It’s definitely going to be a tough one – they are a very good team and they are well coached so we are expecting a tough match. In our first round match we executed our structures quite well so so we hope to do the same on Saturday.”
With both teams known for their strong forward packs, a big forward battle can be expected and Jacobs says they are looking forward to the encounter.
“We’re quite a forward pack dominant team, and although it’s easy to predict what we’re going to do, it’s difficult to stop what’s coming. So I’m looking forward to that. Wanderers has a very well-balanced team with a strong pack, so it’s going to be an interesting encounter up front,” he says.
“Two of our top wings, Lasarus Joseph and Keno Shetukana, have joined Unam so that leaves quite a big space to be filled, but I think the guys coming into those positions are quite capable of doing well. For the rest I think we will have a strong travelling squad,” he says.
Despite leading the log, Jacobs says their main aim is finish in the top four to qualify for the semi-finals.
“Our main focus is just to stay in the top four, but there is still a long way to go, the second round has just started, so anything can still happen.”
FNB Kudus, meanwhile, will be determined to get back to winning ways when they host United at Walvis Bay.
They are currently fourth on the log, well behind the top three, with Unam breathing down their neck a point behind. Kudus, however, gave a good account of themselves in their first round encounter at United before suffering a narrow 43-36 defeat and should start the match as favourites on their home ground.
Sixth-placed FNB Rehoboth, meanwhile, host seventh-placed FNB Dolphins at Rehoboth with both teams still in the running for a semi-final spot, while the bottom two teams, FNB Western Suburbs and FNB Reho Falcon will face off at Suburbs Park.
