Jaythen orange this week earned praise from both his former schools in Windhoek after recently being selected for the South African under-20 Springbok squad.
The lock forward has been included in the final squad ahead of the third edition of the Sanzaar Under-20 Rugby Championship, set to kick off on 27 April.
Orange made his debut during the 2026 Young Guns campaign before being promoted to the first team of the University of Johannesburg.
He went on to finish the senior season as a semi-finalist in the FNB Varsity Cup, highlighting his rapid progression in the sport.
We’re celebrating a young Namibian who has made instant inroads in possibly the toughest finishing school in the world – rugby.
The talent pool in South African rugby is deep and the competition for places at the top is ferocious. Even at youth level.
Orange, though, is not completely lost to Namibian rugby should it manage to resurrect itself soon: Rugby players can change allegiances even after playing at senior level for another country.
Not qualifying for the World Cup has set back Namibia’s rugby tremendously and only a more inclusive approach to developing the code will help it become a more mainstream sport.
While Namibian rugby rebuilds it should continue to expose young talent to the tough, well-run and well-funded competitions across the Orange River.
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