Rugby on the rocks: Union in turmoil 

The Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) faces a leadership crisis following reported coaching resignations and public demands for financial transparency after failing to qualify for the World Cup.

The union’s coaching staff resigned in December, citing reasons outside of their control.

This includes director of rugby and former national team captain Jacques Burger, along with Jaco Engels, Rohan Kitshoff, and David Philander.

In a message sent on WhatsApp and seen by The Namibian, the former Saracens and Blue Bulls player in December informed some team members that he and his coaching staff have resigned.

“I just want to let everyone know from my side that the coaching staff and I will no longer be involved with the NRU as from the end of December due to reasons beyond our control,” he said.

Calls to Burger for comment went unanswered this week.

The resignations comes as former Namibian rugby player Damian Stevens has raised red flags over the state of rugby governance in Namibia, following the country’s failure to qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Stevens outlines six key areas where the national union, he argues, must improve.

He flags a lack of financial transparency.

“Without a breakdown of the last four years, planning for the next 10 years is impossible,” he says.

Stevens believes the rugby community deserves clarity on how funds have been allocated, what was spent on high-performance versus administration, sponsorship income and usage, development programme budgets as well as travel, coaching, and player welfare expenditure.

‘FINANCIAL OPACITY’

“Financial opacity kills trust,” he says.

He criticises rugby leadership’s lack of communication and transparency, saying a public review of the team’s performance, lessons learned, and a roadmap for rebuilding are long overdue.

“Silence from leadership signals either disorganisation or avoidance that does not inspire confidence,” he says.

Stevens lists the absence of a strategic plan as another thorny issue.

“Other African unions, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and even Ivory Coast are already mapping out high‑performance pathways, coaching structures, talent identification systems, funding models [and] competitive cycles leading to 2031,” he says.

He highlights that Namibia, “historically as Africa’s second‑strongest rugby nation”, should be leading this conversation.

Stevens argues that the rugby community has a right – and a responsibility – to demand answers.

“Namibian rugby survives because of players, coaches, volunteers, clubs, fans, and sponsors,” he says.

“We cannot build a competitive future on silence.”

Speaking to The Namibian and Desert FM, NRU chief executive John Heynes dismissed reports that rugby director and Welwitschia head coach Jacques Burger has resigned, saying this was not the case.

“No, he didn’t resign. There is a press conference on Tuesday where a lot will be shared with all stakeholders and the media,” Heynes said.

The press conference is scheduled for 10 February at 10h00.

Asked specifically about Stevens’ public criticism, Heynes said the former player is entitled to his views but declined to engage further ahead of the briefing.

“At this given time, this is a player who has his opinion. There will be a press conference . . . and then you can ask as many questions as you want,” he said.

In addition, former NRU chief executive Theo Grunewald says he was not aware of the coaching staff resignations, suggesting that financial constraints following the failed World Cup qualification may have played a role.

“When you don’t qualify, World Rugby funding drops significantly. That makes it very difficult to retain coaching staff,” he says.

Grunewald says the situation presents a major challenge for the union at a time when rebuilding should already be underway.

“This is exactly the period when you regroup, identify young players, and give them game time,” he says.

He also urges sponsors not to withdraw support, warning that the union will require funding to create playing opportunities for emerging players.

He further dismisses suggestions that the departures were linked to Stevens’ social media post.

“These are experienced coaches and former players who are used to criticism. A Facebook post would not cause that,” Grunewald says.

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