KUDUS are the surprise leaders after the first three rounds of the Rugby Premier League, and with a home game against bottom side Reho Falcons in store, they are expected to strengthen their lead.
The Walvis Bay side is still unbeaten, after opening its campaign with two wins at Swakopmund against Rehoboth (32-15) and Unam (20-5), and an away win against United (45-19).
The win against former champions Unam made people sit up and take notice, while their convincing victory against United thrust them into the unaccustomed position of log leaders, now three points clear of the chasing pack.
Kudus coach, Gawan Esterhuizen, now back for a second stint after 2015, was a bit surprised about their position as log leaders, but says he believes his team has great potential.
“I feel good about our start. We are still gelling together, but if we continue growing as a team we can reach bigger heights and build on the foundation that we have set,” he says.
“I coached a lot of the players in 2015, so I know them, and I really believe in them. There is some exceptional talent here at Walvis Bay, and if they can believe in themselves and the game plan we are working on, we can reach great heights,” he says.
As a coach, the 38-year-old Esterhuizen is still quite inexperienced, but has built up a promising record.
In 2017 he took Walvis Bay Rugby Club to the semi-finals of the Premier League, where they lost to Unam, and after being transferred to Otjiwarongo for work, he also made an impact there with the Otjiwarongo and Moria school teams.
Last year he was transferred back to Walvis Bay and made an immediate impact by winning the regional first division with Sparta.
Now he is back at Kudus, with a home-grown coastal team that has seen the return of several stalwarts in recent years.
In the backline, national centre Justin Newman has returned to his roots, as has Michael Hummel who has previously played for United.
Regular players like Lloyd Jacobs, Paolo Andrews and Percy Nash have been joined by the young flyhalf Kyle Wentzel, who has made an impression since joining Kudus from Swakop Vikings.
Among the forwards their biggest acquisition has been the return of former Unam and national Sevens captain Cameron Langenhoven.
After completing his studies at Unam, the flanker returned to his roots and has since been installed as captain, with Esterhuizen praising his leadership abilities.
“Cameron is an exceptional leader, and he brings a lot to the team’s leadership capabilities,” he says.
With other seasoned stalwarts like Aurelio Plato, Shaun White and Joshua Jacobs in their midst, they have enough experience, and it will be interesting to see how far this Kudus side can go.
Tomorrow, on their home field at Jan Wilken Stadium at Walvis Bay, they will be strong favourites to extend their winning start against Reho Falcon, who have struggled so far and have conceded an average of 50 points per match.
Wanderers, meanwhile, will host Suburbs in a match rocked by the tragic death of former Wanderers and Namibian great Gerhard Mans.
It will add a sombre atmosphere to an important match for both teams, who, along with Grootfontein, share second spot on 11 points.
Grootfontein, meanwhile, will travel to Rehoboth for the second time after beating Falcons 48-16 a month ago, but can expect stronger competition from Rehoboth in a match that could go either way.
In the weekend’s final match, Unam will start as the favourites when they host a struggling United, who are on zero points along with Falcons at the bottom of the log.
