THE second edition of the Windhoek Draught Tri-Nations Rugby Series will be held at the Hage Geingob Stadium from 8 to 16 November, the Namibia Rugby Union announced on Wednesday.
The tournament will be contested by hosts Namibia, Kenya and Zimbabwe, who together with Madagascar, are part of the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Pool 1A and will compete in the final round of Rugby World Cup 2015 qualification matches to determine who will join South Africa as Africa's representatives at the global spectacle in London.
The Tri-Nations Series provides an added opportunity for the teams to prepare for that qualifying tournament in June/July next year.
“The Windhoek Draught Tri-Nations Rugby Series will provide excellent African test rugby for spectators and supports alike, as players will want to dominate this series to ensure they go into 2014 with the right momentum,” said NRU CEO Sybrand de Beer.
Zimbabwe are expected to arrive in Windhoek on 6 November to acclimatise ahead of the opening test of the series against Namibia on 8 November.
The match, which kicks off at 20h00, will be officiated by experienced South African referee, Jonathan Kaplan.
A curtain raiser will be played between the Namibia U20 national side, which is preparing for the 2014 Junior World Rugby Trophy in Hong Kong, and a Namibia Invitational team. This match will kick-off at 18h00.
Namibia hold the advantage over their rivals, having beaten Zimbabwe 37-33 the last time they met in the Series in November 2012.
However, Zimbabwe, who also lost in the finals of the CAR 1A tournament against Kenya in July, are out to prove that was only a minor blip.
Namibia will have several of their key players available for the tournament, with the likes of Andre Schlechter, Jaco Engels, Tinus du Plessis, Rohan Kitshoff, Eugene Jantjies, Darryl de la Harpe, Sergio de la Harpe, Theuns Kotze, Heinrich Smit and Chrysander Botha all available for selection. The selectors have opted to stick with the majority of all the professional test players who were victorious in Senegal in June 2013 where Namibia beat Senegal and Tunisia convincingly to be promoted to the CAR 1A pool.
“We want to keep the consistency in the team and build with the senior players to provide confidence and exposure to the younger players in the squad. The team is preparing to win the CAR 1A tournament in 2014 and to participate in Rugby World Cup 2015 in London. The mind-set is thus to get the right team together and prepare to win our first game at a RWC,” said de Beer.
The Vice-President of CAR, Dave Gilbert, has confirmed that he will attend the Test between Namibia and Zimbabwe.
“We invite all rugby supporters to come and support our team on Friday evening. Our team has worked very hard during the last 12 months and they want to show their fans and the Namibian community the progress they made since the last Tri-Nations Series,” said De Beer.
Entrance for all the matches in the series will be N$20 per adult and all children under 18 will enter free of charge.
More action
Kenya will arrive in Windhoek on 10 November. Their first match in the series will be against Zimbabwe on 12 November at 20h00. The Namibia U/20s will again face a Namibian Invitational team and play a curtain raiser at 18h00.
Kenya will want to show their supporters that the win against Zimbabwe in July was not a fluke, and that they are worthy 2013 African Champions.
Zimbabwe on the other hand, would like to avenge their loss in a match that promises to provide top quality rugby, as both teams are known for their sevens format skills and hard running rugby. Jacky Hussellmann, Namibia's number one referee, will officiate this match.
Development
The last match of the series will be played between Namibia and Kenya on 16 November with the kick off set for 17h15.
The NRU is arranging a day full of rugby festivities, which will begin with a Get Into Rugby (GIR) tournament at 08h00.
Teams from Katima, Rundu, Oshakati, Walvisbay, Windhoek and Keetmans will participate.
At 12h00, a sevens tournament will kick off where players can show off their skills and speed to spectators.
National sevens coach, Les Bougaard, has selected a group of players who are currently working hard to prepare for tournaments in 2014, and he will have three teams in action.
Women's teams are also welcome to enter.
At 15h00, the final game between the U/20 team and the Namibia Invitational team will take its course before the big test of the day.
But, Namibia would like to end the tournament on a high note to provide the players and management the confidence needed when they go into CAR 1A qualifiers in 2014.
“We all know what they are capable of doing by just looking at their recent successes on the Sevens circuit where they have beaten the likes of New Zealand. The 15-man format is different to the shorter version, but it still indicates the improvement in Kenyan rugby.
Jonathan Kaplan will officiate the test, which will also be the last of his very illustrious career as a referee.
