Wacca – Namibian rugby sensation

FRANCE has Sébastien Chabal, South Africa has Victor Matfield and New Zealand has Chris Jack.

The question is: “Who does Namibia have”? Finally we have an answer: Wacca! This tall lock, who grew up on a farm and attended Outjo High School, on first encounter in many ways appears to be your typical farm boy. However, as the Springboks and the Irish found out the hard way, he is a mountain.Wacca started playing rugby in Grade 9 and played for the Outjo High first team for four years, captaining the team in 1996 and 1997.He was also the school athletic captain in 1997 and believe it or not, it was not his strength that got him onto the pitch, but his speed.He was part of the Namibia U19 Zone 6 team that competed in Lesotho.He was a 200m and 400m runner and was part of the relay team that won bronze that year in the 400m.He moved to Windhoek in 1999 where he played for the University of Namibia’s rugby team in 1999 and 2000.In 2000, while playing for the Namibia U21 team, he was selected for the national team’s tour of South America.During that tour the team played against an Argentina A side, an Uruguayan club and the Uruguay national team.In 2001 the proud Namibian lock went to the University of the Western Cape where he obtained his BA degree in Sports and Exercise Science while playing first team for the varsity and captaining them at the South African School Sports Union Games in 2005.I ran into the tall man and took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about himself: How did you get into the game of rugby? There was nothing to do after the athletic season at school and my woodwork teacher, who happened to be the rugby coach, invited me to try out for my speed.How do you describe yourself? I am friendly, easygoing and disciplined but I have a short temper not common in tall guys.Other than that I am a people’s person and down to earth.How does it feel to have walked amongst giants in the past month or so? It was my dream to play against Bakkies Botha – I am a Bulls supporter and he is my hero.The experience was humbling to put aside your admiration when you walk on the field and defend the ‘Namibian Eagle’ with all your pride and heart.It was awesome to play in front of 76 755 people against France.It will stay with me forever and to be the first black Namibian player to go to the World Cup and play all four games for that matter makes it special for me.It was an honour! The whole experience was great, I have always wanted to play rugby at an elite level and I feel I have achieved that now.They don’t come more elite than the Rugby World Cup! Your saddest rugby moment? Namibia’s loss to Uganda.We thought it would be a walkover and reality struck us too late.What hurt the most was that the Ugandans questioned our eligibility for the World Cup.They kept chanting: “What are you going to do at the World Cup if even we are better than you!” It hurt my pride.What’s the most important thing you learned at the World Cup? The intensity of the game and speed is blistering and mistakes mean points against you.How do you feel about the ticket scandal as a player and a sports officer who is there to promote sports? It’s very saddening, these type of actions tarnish the rugby image in Namibia and make it difficult for sponsors to financially invest in rugby because they lose faith in the NRU and will therefore not trust them with their money.What is the way forward for Namibian rugby? Big games and tournaments, early preparations.Professional players need to make themselves available more often so we can train as a team.Namibia needs to be part of a competitive competition like the Vodacom Cup.We need to build continuity and raise the level of play and get used to high-temperament games.Since we do not have a big pool of players to choose from, we need a structure in place to take care of our youngsters and put them in a Namibian A team that should be playing games yearly in order to motivate the guys.The NRU also needs to look into having a top school rugby league by putting money into the development of schools rugby.A Craven Week team means nothing if they are not competing at a top level continuously.Another important aspect we need to look at is the inception of a U21 League because using youngsters against full-grown men before they have been well conditioned means we destroy their potential and shorten their rugby careers drastically.PROFILE: Wakazuvaka Kazombiaze Age: 28 Height: 2,0m Weight: 105 kg Eye Colour: Brown Born: Okakarara, Namibia Marital Status: Single (but not available) Hobbies: Farming, outdoors braaing and spending time with family Fave Food: Pap and vleis, Omaere Qualifications: BA Sport and Exercise Science Employer: Directorate of Sports (Sports Officer)However, as the Springboks and the Irish found out the hard way, he is a mountain.Wacca started playing rugby in Grade 9 and played for the Outjo High first team for four years, captaining the team in 1996 and 1997.He was also the school athletic captain in 1997 and believe it or not, it was not his strength that got him onto the pitch, but his speed.He was part of the Namibia U19 Zone 6 team that competed in Lesotho.He was a 200m and 400m runner and was part of the relay team that won bronze that year in the 400m.He moved to Windhoek in 1999 where he played for the University of Namibia’s rugby team in 1999 and 2000.In 2000, while playing for the Namibia U21 team, he was selected for the national team’s tour of South America.During that tour the team played against an Argentina A side, an Uruguayan club and the Uruguay national team.In 2001 the proud Namibian lock went to the University of the Western Cape where he obtained his BA degree in Sports and Exercise Science while playing first team for the varsity and captaining them at the South African School Sports Union Games in 2005.I ran into the tall man and took the opportunity to ask him a few questions about himself: How did you get into the game of rugby? There was nothing to do after the athletic season at school and my woodwork teacher, who happened to be the rugby coach, invited me to try out for my speed.How do you describe yourself? I am friendly, easygoing and disciplined but I have a short temper not common in tall guys.Other than that I am a people’s person and down to earth.How does it feel to have walked amongst giants in the past month or so? It was my dream to play against Bakkies Botha – I am a Bulls supporter and he is my hero.The experience was humbling to put aside your admiration when you walk on the field and defend the ‘Namibian Eagle’ with all your pride and heart.It was awesome to play in front of 76 755 people against France.It will stay with me forever and to be the first black Namibian player to go to the World Cup and play all four games for that matter makes it special for me.It was an honour! The whole experience was great, I have always wanted to play rugby at an elite level and I feel I have achieved that now.They don’t come more elite than the Rugby World Cup! Your saddest rugby moment? Namibia’s loss to Uganda.We thought it would be a walkover and reality struck us too late.What hurt the most was that the Ugandans questioned our eligibility for the World Cup.They kept chanting: “What are you going to do at the World Cup if even we are better than you!” It hurt my pride.What’s the most important thing you learned at the World Cup? The intensity of the game and speed is blistering and mistakes mean points against you.How do you feel about the ticket scandal as a player and a sports officer who is there to promote sports? It’s very saddening, these type of actions tarnish the rugby image in Namibia and make it difficult for sponsors to financially invest in rugby because they lose faith in the NRU and will therefore not trust them with their money.What is the way forward for Namibian rugby? Big games and tournaments, early preparations.Professional players need to make themselves available more often so we can train as a team.Namibia needs to be part of a competitive competition like the Vodacom Cup.We need to build continuity and raise the level of play and get used to high-temperament games.Since we do not have a big pool of players to choose from, we need a structure in place to take care of our youngsters and put them in a Namibian A team that should be playing games yearly in order to motivate the guys.The NRU also needs to look into having a top school rugby league by putting money into the development of schools rugby.A Craven Week team means nothing if they are not competing at a top level continuously.Another important aspect we need to look at is the inception of a U21 League because using youngsters against full-grown men before they have been well conditioned means we destroy their potential and shorten their rugby careers drastically. PROFILE: Wakazuvaka Kazombiaze Age: 28 Height: 2,0m Weight: 105 kg Eye Colour: Brown Born: Okakarara, Namibia Marital Status: Single (but not available) Hobbies: Farming, outdoors braaing and spending time with family Fave Food: Pap and vleis, Omaere Qualifications: BA Sport and Exercise Science Employer: Directorate of Sports (Sports Officer)