Namibia put in a great performance to beat Russia 45-5 in their second Windhoek Draught Friendship Test on Saturday to win the series 2-0.
Namibia led 16-5 at halftime but turned on the screws in the second half to run in a total of five tries for a comfortable win.
Right wing Conrad Marais scored a hat-trick of tries and left wing Russel van Wyk scored a try, while fly half Theuns Kotze won the man of the match award with a personal tally of 25 points, consisting of a try, four conversions and four penalties.
It was a great all-round performance by Namibia who defended with grit and determination and attacked with flair and pace.
It was also a step-up from last week when they won the first test 39-19 with the home side displaying more urgency and clinical finishing the second time around.
Kotze gave Namibia an early lead 3-0 lead when he slotted a second minute penalty and Namibia’s forwards kept up the early pressure with a strong rolling maul deep into Russia’s territory.
Jacques Burger and Torsten van Jaarsveld both came close to scoring before Russel van Wyk turned on the speed to go over in the corner after 13 minutes and with Kotze adding the conversion Namibia were 10-0 up.
Namibia’s pack dominated the scrums, pushing their opponents back metres at a time and two more penalties by Kotze stretched their lead to 16-0.
Russia however put in some strong attacks with eighthman Viktor Gresev and lock Andrey Garbuzov both prominent, and just before halftime they opened their account when hooker Evgeny Matveev crashed over from a lineout for an unconverted try.
The second half started in great fashion for Namibia when Kotze broke right through Russia’s backline and ran more than 50 metres to touch down. His conversion attempt hit the post but Namibia were well ahead at 21-5.
The match took a nasty turn early in the second half as a free for all erupted amongst the players and Jacques Burger and Russian centre Dmitriy Gerasimov were both sin binned for foul play.
Russia nearly scored when substitute Andrey Lizogub was tackled into touch a metre from the line, but Russia suffered another blow when loose forward Pavel Butenko was sin binned for a foul and they were down to 13 men.
Namibian coach Phil Davies rang the changes bringing on a host of substitutes in the second half and they certainly had the desired effect.
Substitute flanker Renaldo Bothma made a great impact with his barging runs and Russia’s defence finally wilted midway through the second half when right wing Conrad Marais ran onto a Kotze cross-kick to touch down.
Kotze added the conversion and a penalty soon after to stretch Namibia’s lead to 31-5 with 10 minutes to go.
Namibia didn’t let up and pounded away at Russia’s line in the final stages and their pressure paid off as Marais ran in two more scintillating tries – the first from a Arthur Bouwer counter-attack, and the second from a Johan Tromp counter-attack.
Kotze converted both to cap a great display that won him the man of the match award.
In an age of information overload, Sunrise is The Namibian’s morning briefing, delivered at 6h00 from Monday to Friday. It offers a curated rundown of the most important stories from the past 24 hours – occasionally with a light, witty touch. It’s an essential way to stay informed. Subscribe and join our newsletter community.
The Namibian uses AI tools to assist with improved quality, accuracy and efficiency, while maintaining editorial oversight and journalistic integrity.
Stay informed with The Namibian – your source for credible journalism. Get in-depth reporting and opinions for
only N$85 a month. Invest in journalism, invest in democracy –
Subscribe Now!
