Sevens hit top gear

THE Namibia Rugby Union yesterday announced two strong teams to compete in the upcoming IRB Trustco Sevens Tournament, which will be the sporting highlight in the country this weekend.

Namibian team manager Ettiene Coetzee named two sides to compete against some of the best sevens-rugby-playing nations in the biggest tournament on Namibian soil to date.Apart from Namibia, other competing countries are Portugal, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Spain, Zambia, Tunisia, Samoa, Argentina, South Africa and Fiji.Coetzee said the two teams have prepared well for the tournament so far and judging from their recent performance in Tunisia, the players are ready to go up against the best in the fast-paced rugby discipline.Namibia will open their campaign against Tunisia on Friday afternoon at 13h00, before they take on South Africa later in the day at 16h00.The finals will be decided on Saturday, while matches for schools on the same circuit will also be held over the two days at the Vegkop Stadium.Yesterday, tournament director Amos Shiyuka said the teams have already started streaming into the capital, with Samoa being the first arrivals.He said Argentina and Portugal were also expected later yesterday, while most of the others would arrive today.He said the competition would provide great excitement for all rugby fans and he hopes that people will turn up in huge numbers to support the Namibian teams.Shiyuka said Trustco had signed a five-year contract with the IRB to bring the tournament to Namibia each year, with a total sponsorship of N$18 million at the moment.He added that they anticipate bringing in more sponsors in the future as the tournament grows.Meanwhile, Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) chief executive Sakkie Mouton said the union realised that in order to meet its development goals, it had to provide the players with an opportunity to compete at international level.’In the months following we arranged various opportunities for such developments to happen. These include a visit to Argentina, a very successful visit by the Springbok invitational team and various events at school and under-19 level,’ he said.Mouton added that the Namibian rugby fans have come a long way in supporting the game, adding that they have been the biggest motivator for development of the sport and the restructuring of the NRTU’s operations.’The Trustco Sevens brings a selection of formidable teams to Namibia and an opportunity for us all to enjoy the great skill and fast pace of the international sevens game,’ he said.The Namibian newspaper in conjunction with Trustco will run an SMS competition where readers stand a chance to win N$1 million. Readers can see it all in today’s edition. corry@namibian.com.na