Namibia qualified for the final of the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Cup after thumping Zimbabwe 68-8 in their semifinal match at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium in Windhoek on Saturday.
Namibia will now meet the defending champions Morocco in the final in Windhoek on October 9. On Saturday, Zimbabwe surprisingly took the lead through an early penalty by scrumhalf Gary Hewitt, but Namibia soon clicked into gear to display an exciting and attacking brand of running rugby.Namibia went ahead in the 7th minute through a try by flanker Schalk van der Merwe and immediately after the restart centre Du Preez Grobler scored another try after a great attack by fullback Hendrik Meyer.Zimbabwe’s flyhalf Grant Mitchell tested Meyer with several up-and-unders but the young fullback stood firm under pressure.Although Zimbabwe won their fair share of possession from the line-outs, Namibia dominated the loose rucks where Van der Merwe reigned supreme.Superb tackling by Namibia’s backline snuffed out the few attacks that Zimbabwe managed to launch, while Namibia’s heavier pack of forwards took its toll on the visitors’ pack, which was pushed away by metres in the scrums.Namibia’s relentless onslaught continued as lock Rheeder van Wyk scored a try after going over from a line-out in the 26th minute.Immediately after the restart right wing Rian van Wyk scored another try after a great run by centre Du Preez Grobler.Grobler had a brilliant game in the midfield, scoring two tries and launching several others.He put scrumhalf Jurie van Tonder clear for a try in the 35th minute and two minutes later once again cut through Zimbabwe’s backline to put right wing Van Wyk over for his second try.Just before halftime hooker Cor van Tonder went over for a try after a great build-up involving several forwards and backs.Seven minutes after the break Lintvelt burst over for a try after Namibia received a penalty five metres from the tryline.Zimbabwe did well to keep Namibia at bay for the next 15 minutes, but Du Preez Grobler finally broke through for a try in the 63rd minute.His centre partner and captain, Corne Powell scored four minutes later after being driven over the line by his forwards.Replacement backs Ryan Witbooi and Pieter Rossouw scored Namibia’s final tries.Zimbabwe’s only try came three minutes before the end when centre Ryan Dube kicked ahead and gathered the ball to dot down.The only blemish in Namibia’s performance was the inconsistent goal kicking by flyhalf Morne Schreuder.He could only succeed with three out of 11 conversion attempts, before the final conversion was kicked over by Neil Swanepoel.It was a great performance by Namibia who will now fancy their chances against Morocco.Morocco beat Namibia 27-7 in the inaugural CAR Cup final in Casablanca in February, but will now have home ground advantage against the north Africans on October 9.On Saturday, Zimbabwe surprisingly took the lead through an early penalty by scrumhalf Gary Hewitt, but Namibia soon clicked into gear to display an exciting and attacking brand of running rugby.Namibia went ahead in the 7th minute through a try by flanker Schalk van der Merwe and immediately after the restart centre Du Preez Grobler scored another try after a great attack by fullback Hendrik Meyer.Zimbabwe’s flyhalf Grant Mitchell tested Meyer with several up-and-unders but the young fullback stood firm under pressure.Although Zimbabwe won their fair share of possession from the line-outs, Namibia dominated the loose rucks where Van der Merwe reigned supreme.Superb tackling by Namibia’s backline snuffed out the few attacks that Zimbabwe managed to launch, while Namibia’s heavier pack of forwards took its toll on the visitors’ pack, which was pushed away by metres in the scrums.Namibia’s relentless onslaught continued as lock Rheeder van Wyk scored a try after going over from a line-out in the 26th minute.Immediately after the restart right wing Rian van Wyk scored another try after a great run by centre Du Preez Grobler.Grobler had a brilliant game in the midfield, scoring two tries and launching several others.He put scrumhalf Jurie van Tonder clear for a try in the 35th minute and two minutes later once again cut through Zimbabwe’s backline to put right wing Van Wyk over for his second try.Just before halftime hooker Cor van Tonder went over for a try after a great build-up involving several forwards and backs.Seven minutes after the break Lintvelt burst over for a try after Namibia received a penalty five metres from the tryline.Zimbabwe did well to keep Namibia at bay for the next 15 minutes, but Du Preez Grobler finally broke through for a try in the 63rd minute.His centre partner and captain, Corne Powell scored four minutes later after being driven over the line by his forwards.Replacement backs Ryan Witbooi and Pieter Rossouw scored Namibia’s final tries.Zimbabwe’s only try came three minutes before the end when centre Ryan Dube kicked ahead and gathered the ball to dot down.The only blemish in Namibia’s performance was the inconsistent goal kicking by flyhalf Morne Schreuder.He could only succeed with three out of 11 conversion attempts, before the final conversion was kicked over by Neil Swanepoel.It was a great performance by Namibia who will now fancy their chances against Morocco.Morocco beat Namibia 27-7 in the inaugural CAR Cup final in Casablanca in February, but will now have home ground advantage against the north Africans on October 9.
