Much on the line in NRU premier league
Club rugby
An intriguing opening round awaits as the Namibia Rugby Union’s premier league gets underway with matches at Walvis Bay, Rehoboth, and two in the capital (Olympia and Khomasdal).
With the decision to play this year’s premier league season over only a single round (the first time since emerging from the Covid pandemic lockdown in 2022), each match will be significant with little margin for error.
Each match will also present the locally-based contenders in the national squad to strengthen their case for inclusion in Namibia’s vitally important selection for the July 2025 Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala, which will be the direct qualifying pathway to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Defending champions FNB Wanderers start off their campaign away against FNB Reho Falcon – having obtained a few new faces in the off-season including the likes of hooker Edward Drotsky and loose forward Joe Losper who both made their name for the latter club.
At Walvis Bay, FNB Kudus will look to gain the ealry advantage against Swakopmund neighbour FNB Dolphin, with the latter having added Cameron Markus (Reho Falcon’s nr 8 and captain in their spirited 2024 campaign) to their forward pack.
The announced Kudus team will have former World Cup centre PJ Walters packing down at number 8, with promising fly-half Michael Koopman and former Namibia U20 centre Alistair Miller among the other interesting starters.
Kudus vs Dolphin will be the match brought to viewers by the NTV production team on Saturday, on the NTV television channel as well as on https://oneuptwo.com/
In Khomasdal, FNB Western Suburbs open their campaign under new head coach Jood Opperman against FNB Unam, who was last year’s beaten finalist.
At Gemsbok Park in Olympia, Robbie Dickson and Herman Lintvelt’s Trustco United awaits the ever competitive FNB Grootfontein – who had a much more successful previous season, having qualified for their first NRU premier league semi-final.
United’s influential fly-half Hanreco van Zyl could have new recruit DJ Holtzhausen (ex-Wanderers) in the 12 jersey next to him – playing directly against his younger brother Niel Holtzhausen for Grootfontein.
With the decision to play this year’s premier league season over only a single round (the first time since emerging from the Covid pandemic lockdown in 2022), each match will be significant with little margin for error.
Each match will also present the locally-based contenders in the national squad to strengthen their case for inclusion in Namibia’s vitally important selection for the July 2025 Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala, which will be the direct qualifying pathway to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
Defending champions FNB Wanderers start off their campaign away against FNB Reho Falcon – having obtained a few new faces in the off-season including the likes of hooker Edward Drotsky and loose forward Joe Losper who both made their name for the latter club.
At Walvis Bay, FNB Kudus will look to gain the ealry advantage against Swakopmund neighbour FNB Dolphin, with the latter having added Cameron Markus (Reho Falcon’s nr 8 and captain in their spirited 2024 campaign) to their forward pack.
The announced Kudus team will have former World Cup centre PJ Walters packing down at number 8, with promising fly-half Michael Koopman and former Namibia U20 centre Alistair Miller among the other interesting starters.
Kudus vs Dolphin will be the match brought to viewers by the NTV production team on Saturday, on the NTV television channel as well as on https://oneuptwo.com/
In Khomasdal, FNB Western Suburbs open their campaign under new head coach Jood Opperman against FNB Unam, who was last year’s beaten finalist.
At Gemsbok Park in Olympia, Robbie Dickson and Herman Lintvelt’s Trustco United awaits the ever competitive FNB Grootfontein – who had a much more successful previous season, having qualified for their first NRU premier league semi-final.
United’s influential fly-half Hanreco van Zyl could have new recruit DJ Holtzhausen (ex-Wanderers) in the 12 jersey next to him – playing directly against his younger brother Niel Holtzhausen for Grootfontein.
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