‘Still a long way to go’ – Proctor

Although their performance against Kenya was pleasing, Namibia still have a long way to go before the start of the World Cup, according to their fitness coach Wayne Proctor.

Proctor, who was seconded to the national team by World Rugby and previously worked with the Wales Sevens and their national u20 squads, addressed the media on Monday about the progress made by the national squad.

“The performance against Kenya was good but we still need to improve. With all due respect to Kenya, the worst-ranked sides we will meet at the World Cup are much more advanced than Kenya, so there is still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

“We are looking for consistency in behaviour and the players must start living the life of professionals,” he added.

Namibia will be in a unique position at the World Cup since many of its players are still amateurs, with full-time day jobs, while their opponents are mostly full-time professionals.

Countries that Namibia will meet in Group C like Georgia and Tonga have improved tremendously over the past decade, with Georgia’s players mostly playing professionally in France and Italy while Tonga’s players mostly play in Australia and New Zealand.

Proctor said they had to be realistic about their chances at the World Cup.

“We’ve got to be realistic. New Zealand, South Africa and Australia – they are the elite rugby nations and have Tier One standards. That’s our long-term goal and that’s what drives our players – to reach that level. We are part of the Tier Two nations and if we can get to the Tier Two standard and maintain that level of consistency, we can reach the goal of winning our first match at the World Cup,” he said.

According to Proctor the development of a High Performance Centre has helped the players a lot, especially with regard to gym work and strength and conditioning, as well as the monitoring of their progress and performances.

Namibia’s amateur players start their day with a one-hour gym session from 05h45 before they go off to work. After work they have a second gym session at 16h00 and then join the rest of the group for a high intensity training session of about an hour, before they finally go home at 20h30.

The professional players have their own system, normally starting at 09h00 and continuing through the day.

The players also do post-match video sessions and remedial work to correct the mistakes they make during matches.

“I’ve been pleased with how they have all come to the party because its been tough and no one can question their motivation. But we have to build and maintain that culture after the World Cup and many of the players still have some way to go,” Proctor said.

Proctor said they were building a legacy programme with the aim to be better prepared for future World Cups.

“My role is to educate the players and put in place robust systems that can last beyond this World Cup. The other nations at the World Cup can plan four years ahead to the next one, but Namibia has not had that luxury in the past.

The development of the High Performance Centre has been exciting and a lot of efforts have gone in to get the structure to where it is now. We now have quality facilities with the necessary support systems like proper nutrition,” he said.

Proctor said the structures were now in place for Namibian rugby to reach the next level.

“There is still a lot to do but a lot has been put into place and I am happy with the progress we have made. With proper guidance and good structures and intensity training they will see the same development as the other nations,” he said.

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