THE Namibian rugby team qualified for the 2011 IRB Rugby World Cup in New Zealand after they dismissed Tunisia 22-10 at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium on Saturday.
It will be the fourth consecutive time that Namibia will be represented at the prestigious showpiece which features the world’s top rugby-playing nations.Namibia’s winger Tinus du Plessis scored a try for the home side, with his flyhalf Emile Wessels slotting through a conversion and five penalties. Tunisia’s Lofti Ben Msallem succeeded with a drop goal and a conversion, with their only try coming from Abbes Kherfani.The victory gives Namibia a 40-23 aggregate victory after they won the first leg in Tunis 18-13 a fortnight ago, the first time the away side had won an encounter between the two African rivals.They will now join 2007 world champions South Africa in Group D, with Wales, Samoa and Fiji the other contenders in the same group.Namibia is ranked 22nd in the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings of which 95 countries are member associations.The win was marred by a free-for-all fistfight towards the end of the match, but that did not deter the celebrations of the local side which was trailing 10-9 at halftime.In fact, the visitors had themselves to blame for repeatedly playing offside, while their infringements at the rucks also added to them being penalised.Wessels, with his precise kicks at goal, took full advantage of the penalties that came Namibia’s way, making the job of his team mates easier in a rather physical match in front of a near capacity crowd.EARLY SETBACK Tunisia suffered an early setback when their captain and prop Souid Hedi was sin-binned for foul play after only three minutes, Wessels kicking the resulting penalty to give Namibia a 3-0 lead.Four minutes later Namibian scrumhalf Eugene Jantjies nearly increased the lead when he broke away from a scrum and sent wing Bradley Langenhoven away on the left wing. When the cover defence caught up, Jantjies gathered from a maul but dotted down just short of the tryline.Tunisian wing Abbes Kherfani missed with a penalty in the 14th minute, but shortly afterwards fly half Lotfi Ben Msallem kicked a drop goal from just outside the 22m line. This score lifted Tunisia, who started attacking more and prop Aouemri Akrem was bundled into touch a metre from the line after a forward drive.Wessels restored Namibia’s lead with a penalty in the 28th minute, but Tunisia then took the lead for the first time with a great try six minutes later. Namibian flanker PJ van Lill went on a fine run, but when he was brought down centre Sabeur Ben Charrada launched an incisive counter attack to pass to left wing Kherfani, who dived over next to the posts.With Ben Msallem adding the conversion, Tunisia went 10-6 ahead. Wessels, though, slotted another penalty between the posts from the 10m line to cut the deficit to one point and then narrowly missed another kick that would have given the home side the lead at halftime.Namibia immediately went on the attack in the second half as loose forwards Van Lill and Jacques Nieuwenhuis came close to scoring, only for Tunisia’s defence to hold out.The home side’s incessant pressure resulted in a five-metre penalty, but scrumhalf Jantjies missed another great chance when he knocked on going over the line. Tunisia were, however, penalised for offside and Wessels put Namibia 12-10 ahead with a penalty.Namibia went further ahead through a great try by number eight Tinus du Plessis just past the hour mark. Full back Chrysander Botha launched a counterattack and the ball spun across the back line to Langenhoven and Piet van Zyl before Du Plessis was on hand to crash over for the try. Wessels added the conversion to put Namibia 19-10 ahead.Tunisia were once again reduced to 14 men when prop Mohamed Ali Kochlaf was sin-binned, but despite being a man down, they camped on Namibia’s tryline. Tunisia had about six attempts at scoring from a maul repelled before flyhalf Ben Msallem tried a drop goal which went wide of the mark.Namibia finished strongly, with loose forwards Van Lill and Jacques Burger putting in strong runs, and when Tunisia were penalised for offside, Wessels slotted over the penalty from in front of the posts. Despite Namibia’s qualification, Tunisia have another chance to do the same for their first-ever World Cup, via the cross-continental playoff next year. – Additional Reporting by IRB website
