Namibia falls to Tunisia

THE Namibian rugby team failed to clear the second hurdle in their way to the 2007 Rugby World Cup when they lost 24-7 to Tunisia in a qualifying match at the weekend.

Tunisia led 17-0 at halftime. Namibia responded with a try by P.J.van Lill in the second half, but were outdone by the hosts in both the scrums and line-outs.Coach Johan Venter expressed disappointment with the performance of the team , saying that the backline defended poorly.Venter, who was appointed coach this year, has the daunting task of getting Namibia to the 2007 World Cup which will be held in France.The Namibians will next face Kenya on September 2 in Nairobi, before they host Tunisia in Windhoek on September 30.The lack of preparation for the Namibian team is another factor that hampered their performance in Tunisia, while the team also did not have some of their key players.The team’s last preparation game was against a South African provincial side in Windhoek, which they lost.Namibia responded with a try by P.J.van Lill in the second half, but were outdone by the hosts in both the scrums and line-outs.Coach Johan Venter expressed disappointment with the performance of the team , saying that the backline defended poorly.Venter, who was appointed coach this year, has the daunting task of getting Namibia to the 2007 World Cup which will be held in France.The Namibians will next face Kenya on September 2 in Nairobi, before they host Tunisia in Windhoek on September 30.The lack of preparation for the Namibian team is another factor that hampered their performance in Tunisia, while the team also did not have some of their key players.The team’s last preparation game was against a South African provincial side in Windhoek, which they lost.