NRU dodges Covid bullet to remain in World Cup fight

ANDREW POOLMAN – Seven uncapped players were included in the Namibian team that departed for participation in Rugby Africa’s upcoming triangular tournament starting in Abidjan this coming Saturday.

Despite its best efforts under the very tricky circumstances presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) has not been able to send a full-strength squad to face the host nation Ivory Coast and Madagascar on 3 July and 7 July, respectively.

There was great relief when the results of Friday morning’s Covid-19 tests for the local training group’s all came back negative. Any positive coronavirus result could have had catastrophic consequences for Namibia’s ability to send a team in its bid to qualify for the next World Cup.

Most of the local training group had been isolated in a bio-bubble at a hotel in Windhoek since 19 June, while the government had imposed a ban on contact sports since the start of the month already.

As a result, interim head coach Robbie Dickson and his men were able to catch their Ethiopean Arlines flight to Addis Ababa on Saturday, before being transited to the Ivory Coast capital Abidjan.

Namibia’s newly appointed national coach, Allister Coetzee, had also left Cape Town to join the player group in Abidjan for the first time since his unveiling last Thursday.

One of the three teams – Namibia, Ivory Coast or Madagascar – will be eliminated, with only two surviving to take part in the decisive World Cup qualifiers next year.

MUCH EXPERIENCE ABSENT

The majority of Namibia’s foreign-based professional players have due to various circumstances been unable to join up for the country’s last Test appearance against New Zealand at the World Cup in Japan in October 2019.

Regular captain Johan Deysel (centre), who plays for Colomiers in France, has been unable to travel due to family commitments, while vice-captain Tjiuee Uanivi (lock) has requested leave to focus on establishing himself at his new club in France.

Janco Venter (Saracens loose-forward) is unavailable for personal reasons, while three out of the country’s five players in the USA’s Major League Rugby are in demand at their franchises that are still in contention of qualifying for the playoffs. They are loose-forward Wian Conradie (New England Free Jacks), flyhalf Cliven Loubser (Utah Warriors) and scrumhalf Damian Stevens (New Orleans Gold).

Hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld, from Bayonne in France, has cited family commitments, while the Free State Cheetahs front-rowers Aranos Coetzee and Louis van der Westhuizen have been ruled out from travelling when Covid-19 cases emerged at their franchise.

Among the locally based players from the previous World Cup, backline speedsters Chad Plato (FNB Unam) and Justin Newman (FNB Kudus) were also ruled out after being exposed to coronavirus cases.

The group that departed from Windhoek on Saturday (uncapped players marked with *):

BACKS

* Ricardo Swartz (FNB Western Suburbs)

Johann Tromp (Strela Kazan, Russia)

Oderich Mouton (FNB Unam)

Gino Wilson (FNB Western Suburbs)

* Ethan Beukes (FNB Wanderers)

Peter-John Walters (FNB Western Suburbs)

Lesley Klim (Jersey Reds, England)

* Hanreco van Zyl (Trustco United)

* Riaan van Zyl (Trustco United)

FORWARDS

Prince !Gaoseb (FNB Unam)

* Cameron Langenhoven (FNB Unam)

Max Katjijeko (FNB Unam)

Ruan Ludick (FNB Wanderers)

Johan Retief (Leopards, RSA)

Nelius Theron (Leopards, RSA)

Jason Benade (Trustco United)

* Simon Kanime (FNB Unam)

André Rademeyer (FNB Grootfontein)

Desiderius Sethie (FNB Unam)

* Gerhard Thirion (Trustco United)

The other four players to join from overseas clubs are Helarius Kisting (flyhalf of Baia Mare, Romania), the 51-Test veteran Pieter-Jan van Lill (lock or Nr 8 of Valence-Romans, France), Nr 8 Adriaan Booysen (Houston Sabercats, USA) and hooker Obert Nortjé (Seattle Seawolves, USA).