Webb Ellis rugby trophy comes to Namibia

THE famous Webb Ellis rugby trophy will be brought to Namibia on May 12, before it goes to South Africa on May 15 to form part of the build-up to the Rugby World Cup, which will be held in France in September.

The trophy, which will be at stake when 20 teams converge in different parts of France, will be brought to Namibia as one of the countries competing at the event this year. To mark the arrival of the trophy, a charity match will be played at the Hage Geingob Stadium between a Namibian invitational side and a selected team from Katutura.On May 13, while the trophy is still here, a charity rugby match will be played in Walvis Bay, while on May 14, the trophy will be presented to President Hifikepunye Pohamba.On the same date, there will be a parade of the trophy in Windhoek for the public to see it.The Webb Ellis Trophy is the main prize of the Rugby World Cup and it is named after William Webb Ellis, who was named by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as the inventor of rugby.The trophy is kept in Dublin, Ireland, the base of the International Rugby Board (IRB).Only New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and current defending champions England have had the opportunity to win the trophy.The Namibian rugby team will compete at the World Cup this year and are grouped with hosts France, Ireland, Argentina and Georgia.The tournament starts on September 7 and will be played at 12 different stadiums around France.There will be 48 matches in total and an estimated four billion viewers around the world are expected to watch the competition on television.Namibia will be going into their third World Cup this year.The team played at the 2003 World Cup in Australia and the 1999 event, jointly hosted by England and Wales.Namibia did not progress beyond the first stages, but they managed to scare some of their opponents with their committed play despite high scores against them.Namibia has done exceptionally well to end up among the 20 nations to compete at this year’s event after a total of 94 countries tried their luck in the qualifiers.National coach Johan Venter will be expected to improve the record this time around though, as the Namibians did not fare well in Australia in 2003.Venter has quality players in the back line and the forward pack, but their chances of causing an upset against the hosts or Ireland and Argentina will be determined by their willingness to play for a win.Venter has said they will play to win at the tournament this year and will not be intimidated by France, Argentina or Ireland, which are powerhouses in the game.In 2003, Namibia lost all their group matches, but this year, an improvement is expected as the majority of the players who competed Down Under are forming the core of the side.Namibia will be aided by experience to avoid high scores against them in the opening matches against the three big rugby-playing nations, but their battle against fellow minnow Georgia will be an equal tussle.Meanwhile, Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president Dirk Conradie yesterday confirmed to The Namibian Sport that the union had secured a multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal with MTC, and would sign it soon.He did not divulge the figure and also did not give a date for the signing of the agreement.The NRU will need the financial backing of the cellular operator to help them prepare effectively for the World Cup.The NRU primarily needs funds for training camps and organising international friendly matches.To mark the arrival of the trophy, a charity match will be played at the Hage Geingob Stadium between a Namibian invitational side and a selected team from Katutura.On May 13, while the trophy is still here, a charity rugby match will be played in Walvis Bay, while on May 14, the trophy will be presented to President Hifikepunye Pohamba.On the same date, there will be a parade of the trophy in Windhoek for the public to see it.The Webb Ellis Trophy is the main prize of the Rugby World Cup and it is named after William Webb Ellis, who was named by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) as the inventor of rugby.The trophy is kept in Dublin, Ireland, the base of the International Rugby Board (IRB).Only New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and current defending champions England have had the opportunity to win the trophy.The Namibian rugby team will compete at the World Cup this year and are grouped with hosts France, Ireland, Argentina and Georgia.The tournament starts on September 7 and will be played at 12 different stadiums around France.There will be 48 matches in total and an estimated four billion viewers around the world are expected to watch the competition on television.Namibia will be going into their third World Cup this year.The team played at the 2003 World Cup in Australia and the 1999 event, jointly hosted by England and Wales.Namibia did not progress beyond the first stages, but they managed to scare some of their opponents with their committed play despite high scores against them.Namibia has done exceptionally well to end up among the 20 nations to compete at this year’s event after a total of 94 countries tried their luck in the qualifiers.National coach Johan Venter will be expected to improve the record this time around though, as the Namibians did not fare well in Australia in 2003.Venter has quality players in the back line and the forward pack, but their chances of causing an upset against the hosts or Ireland and Argentina will be determined by their willingness to play for a win.Venter has said they will play to win at the tournament this year and will not be intimidated by France, Argentina or Ireland, which are powerhouses in the game.In 2003, Namibia lost all their group matches, but this year, an improvement is expected as the majority of the players who competed Down Under are forming the core of the side.Namibia will be aided by experience to avoid high scores against them in the opening matches against the three big rugby-playing nations, but their battle against fellow minnow Georgia will be an equal tussle.Meanwhile, Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president Dirk Conradie yesterday confirmed to The Namibian Sport that the union had secured a multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal with MTC, and would sign it soon.He did not divulge the figure and also did not give a date for the signing of the agreement.The NRU will need the financial backing of the cellular operator to help them prepare effectively for the World Cup.The NRU primarily needs funds for training camps and organising international friendly matches.