NRU hunts new coach
Fresh from the 2019 Japan Rugby World Cup, and without a coach, Namibia's national rugby team will get a new mentor by next month or early next year.
The Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) plans to appoint a senior national team coach by December or early next year, Namibian Sun can reveal.
This follows the resignation of former coach Phil Davies, who parted ways with the national team following the just-ended 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Namibian Sun understands that the union will have to respect its governance protocol before any decision is made.
This means that NRU staff will meet in order to come to collective decision on who they want to appoint before the decision is approved by the board.
NRU vice-president Walter Don confirmed that plans are already afoot to find a replacement for Davies as soon as possible.
“Yes, we have to go through the structures before we can make any appointment, but I can tell you now that the appointment will be made before the end of the year or early next year.
“As for now, we will use the services of our conditioning coach Sergio de la Harpe to keep those players that are in their off-season fit.
“We know that it is important to appoint a coach as early as possible,” Don said.
It was Davies second World Cup at the helm of the national team, following his appointment in 2013.
Namibia secured their place at the 2019 World Cup with a comfortable 53-28 win over Kenya in Windhoek last year.
The match was a straight shootout for the Africa Gold Cup title, which determined World Cup qualification. Namibia scored seven tries to ensure they topped the table with a perfect 25 points from five matches, while picking up try bonus points in all of their matches.
Namibia played in Pool B at the Japan tournament, alongside New Zealand, South Africa, Italy and Canada.
They lost 47-22 to Italy, before succumbing 57-3 to eventual winners South Africa in their second match of the tournament.
The team put up a brave performance against New Zealand, despite losing 71-9 to the former defending world champions.
Namibia's hopes of winning their first match at a Rugby World Cup were dashed when a typhoon hit Japan and their final match against Canada was cancelled.
Namibia were targeting their first-ever World Cup win, while Canada were looking for their first win at the tournament since 2011.
The country has played in every Rugby World Cup since 1999.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
This follows the resignation of former coach Phil Davies, who parted ways with the national team following the just-ended 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Namibian Sun understands that the union will have to respect its governance protocol before any decision is made.
This means that NRU staff will meet in order to come to collective decision on who they want to appoint before the decision is approved by the board.
NRU vice-president Walter Don confirmed that plans are already afoot to find a replacement for Davies as soon as possible.
“Yes, we have to go through the structures before we can make any appointment, but I can tell you now that the appointment will be made before the end of the year or early next year.
“As for now, we will use the services of our conditioning coach Sergio de la Harpe to keep those players that are in their off-season fit.
“We know that it is important to appoint a coach as early as possible,” Don said.
It was Davies second World Cup at the helm of the national team, following his appointment in 2013.
Namibia secured their place at the 2019 World Cup with a comfortable 53-28 win over Kenya in Windhoek last year.
The match was a straight shootout for the Africa Gold Cup title, which determined World Cup qualification. Namibia scored seven tries to ensure they topped the table with a perfect 25 points from five matches, while picking up try bonus points in all of their matches.
Namibia played in Pool B at the Japan tournament, alongside New Zealand, South Africa, Italy and Canada.
They lost 47-22 to Italy, before succumbing 57-3 to eventual winners South Africa in their second match of the tournament.
The team put up a brave performance against New Zealand, despite losing 71-9 to the former defending world champions.
Namibia's hopes of winning their first match at a Rugby World Cup were dashed when a typhoon hit Japan and their final match against Canada was cancelled.
Namibia were targeting their first-ever World Cup win, while Canada were looking for their first win at the tournament since 2011.
The country has played in every Rugby World Cup since 1999.
Jesse Jackson Kauraisa
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