Heynes upbeat about future of Namibian rugby

Rugby fans were treated to quite an eventful season and this trend is set to continue with Namibia scheduled to possibly play two test matches and a number of high profile matches in 2025. John Heynes, the CEO of the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) confirmed this, saying that May, June and July next year, will be an exciting time for Namibian rugby. “We are preparing for the World Cup qualifiers in Uganda in July and initiated talks with the Blue Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions to play warm up games. We also have a good relationship with the Pumas and the Griquas. The South African Rugby Council indicated that they will not allow any foreign teams to participate in the Currie Cup next year, this opened the opportunity for us to engage the top provincial sides and United Rugby Championship (URC) teams. These tours will definitely happen between May and June.”Possibilities Namibia could also possibly play two test matches in the November window. “It might become our test window allowing us to potentially host two home test matches in 2025. This however depends on confirmation from World Rugby,” Heynes said. Commenting on the national squad, Heynes pointed out that the players returned to their respective clubs after the Africa Cup in July and some participated in the Ongos Valley Sevens Tournament. “We will have an alignment camp in November and started with baseline tests for all forwards playing in the country. This is not trials. Our strength and conditioning coach and physio have been working vigorously behind the scenes testing our tight five players over the past three to four weeks. This will continue until November and players participating in the alignment camp might have a warm-up match.”Playing more rugby According to Heynes, the NRU is looking into revamping its existing competition structures.“We must have a healthy domestic competition and take a look at what can be done differently to ensure teams play the maximum number of matches. Our Premier League teams play anything between 16 to 18 matches per season, so we need our First Division and the Women's Division to increase the number of matches they play. Proposals will be forwarded to clubs on this aspect.” He added that the alignment of schools' rugby structures with the union is high on the agenda. “We want to have more competitions, even national weeks for our schools and are in talks with the Ministry of Sport. We will be working closely with the Namibia Schools Sport Union (NSSU) and are now aligning the NRU with the Namibia Secondary Schools Rugby (NSSR) and primary schools committees to create opportunities in rugby. We want rugby to become the number one sport of choice for scholars in partnership with all schools.”The NRU will also roll out a new programme. “It's called T1 Rugby and we will launch it on 22 October under the women's development category. We've already trained five women rugby players who acquired their Level One coaching qualifications three weeks ago. We conducted pilot programs involving 1,260 girls in three schools. From next year, scholars will now have the opportunity to play rugby during school hours, at festivals and tournaments,” Heynes explained. The CEO said that the NRU is not in a bad position financially. “We can be better off. We need companies to invest to have and maintain a successful domestic league and competitions. The NRU Board took a deliberate decision this year to utilise the NBL sponsor in support of all clubs. A lot more can however be done. Our clubs have an uphill battle and are struggling due to the cost of travelling vast distances and paying for accommodation.” The home of rugby The Hage Geingob stadium will also benefit from Namibia hosting the Region 5 games in Windhoek next year. “We are going to conduct repairs and a facelift because the stadium will be used for this event. I had meetings with the ministry and we will start by giving attention to the pitch in December. We will also look at the spray lights and some overall improvements of the stadium,” said Heynes.According to him, the working relationship between the NRU, the City of Windhoek and the Ministry of Sport improved significantly. “All involved are committed to ensuring that the electricity stays on and is not cut when we host international games or important events. The ministry has also refunded the Union for payments made towards accounts that were in arrears.” Heynes hailed the NRU/Synergi partnership which came into effect earlier this year, as one of the best the NRU entered into to date. “Everyone has been experiencing well-organised events hosted at the Hage Geingob Stadium and quality broadcasting. This is a win for us as a brand and commercially wise. The value that Synergy brings to the NRU is unmeasurable and this partnership is bound to grow from strength to strength,” he concluded.

Heynes upbeat about future of Namibian rugby

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-19

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Heynes upbeat about future of Namibian rugby

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Namibian Sun 2024-11-19

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