Namibian National Rugby Union Team

Namibia

Nickname (s)	Welwitschias
Association	Namibia Rugby Union
National stadium	Hage Geingob Stadium
Trainer	Johan Diergaardt
captain	Johan Deysel
WR abbreviation	NAM
WR rank	24. (61.01 points) (as of February 4, 2020)
home Away
Most internationals Eugene Jantjies (67)
Most points scored Theuns Kotzé (430)
Most scored attempts Chrysander Botha (28)
First international match South West Africa 0: 9 British and Irish Lions (July 5, 1955) Namibia 88: 9 Portugal (April 21, 1990)
Biggest victory Namibia 118: 0 Tunisia (23 June 2018)
Biggest defeat Australia 142-0 Namibia (October 25, 2003)
World Championship participations: 6 group fourth (2019)

The Namibian National Rugby Union team represents Namibia in rugby union . The team is classified as a third category national team by World Rugby . The team's nickname is Welwitschias , a plant that grows in the Namib .

After South Africa , Namibia is the strongest representative of Africa in rugby union.

history

A Welwitschia, namesake of the national team

Rugby has been played in Namibia since 1916 and was introduced by the South Africans during their mandate . The first international game as South West Africa against the British and Irish Lions on July 5, 1955 they lost just 0: 9. Before Namibia gained its independence in 1990, it played in the South African Currie Cup and achieved its best result with third place in 1989. In addition, it is still not uncommon for players born in Namibia to play for South Africa . The best examples are Jan Ellis and Percy Montgomery .

In March 1990 the own association was founded, which joined the International Rugby Board in the same month. On April 21, 1990, the first international match took place against the Portuguese National Rugby Union team . However, it was still too late to qualify for the 1991 Rugby Union World Cup . In the first year of independence, the team won all ten test matches, including wins against Ireland and Italy , which were rated as far stronger.

In 1995 they started for the first time in qualifying for the Rugby Union World Cup , but the team just failed in the second and final qualifying round on Ivory Coast .

In qualifying for the Rugby Union World Cup in 1999 , the Welwitschias were able to qualify for the World Cup for the first time. There were significant defeats against the teams of Fiji , Canada and France . The only bright spot of the tournament was an early attempt (try) against France, which brought the team an even game until the 20th minute of the game.

Namibian national rugby team

With a narrow victory over Tunisia , they qualified for the 2003 Rugby Union World Cup . There, like four years before, the team had to leave after the preliminary round after four very clear defeats against Australia , Ireland , Argentina and Romania .

In two hard-fought games against the selection of Morocco , Namibia qualified for the third time in a row for a World Cup, which took place in France in 2007 , but could not win a single victory.

The national team achieved their greatest successes to date by winning the 2010 IRB Nations Cup in Romania and winning the African Rugby Union Championships in 2002, 2004 and 2008/09.

At the 2011 World Cup , all games in preliminary group D were lost.

The Welsh Phil Davies led the Welwitschias for the 2018 World Cup . In March 2020, Johan Diergaardt took over as coach, as briefly in 2011. He should remain in office until 2023.

International success

So far Namibia has competed three times in friendly matches against the German National Rugby Union team . In 1990 the Welwitschias won 54 to 7, in 1999 79 to 13 and on October 29, 2014 58 to 20.

World championships

Participation in the 2015 World Cup (against New Zealand)

The Namibian national team has so far participated in five rugby union world championships . So far, it was the lowest ranked team in the World Rugby World Ranking at all World Cups . She won no game and was consequently bottom of the group in all participations. The most successful World Cup participation was in 2015, when Namibia led at halftime for the first time (6-0 against Georgia) and was close to a victory (final score against Georgia 16-17). In addition, the team won a point in the table for the first time and was ultimately third from bottom of the tournament (before Uruguay and the USA).

• 1991 in England : did not participate 
• 1995 in South Africa : not qualified 
• 1999 in Wales : Preliminary round (Last (4th) place Group 3) 
• 2003 in Australia : Preliminary round (last (5th) place Group A) 
• 2007 in France : preliminary round (last (5th) place group D) 
• 2011 in New Zealand : Preliminary round (last (5th) place Group D) 
• 2015 in England : Preliminary round (last (5th) place Group C) 
• 2019 in Japan : Preliminary round (penultimate (4th) place Group B) 
• 2023 in France : 

African Championship

Between 2002 and 2015, Namibia became African champions six times in its respective division.

• 2000 :
• 2001 :
• 2002 : 1st place
• 2003 : 2nd place
• 2004 : 1st place
• 2005 :
• 2006 : 2nd place
• 2007 : Preliminary round (2nd place south, group A)
• 2008–2009 : 1st place
• 2010 :
• 2011 : resigned
• 2012 : 6th place
• 2013 :
• 2014 : 1st place (Division 1A)
• 2015 : 1st place (Division 1A)
• 2016 : 1st place (Division 1A)
• 2017 : 1st place (Division 1A)
• 2018 : 1st place (Division 1A)

Nations Cup

• 2006 in Portugal : not participated 
• 2007 in Romania : participated 
• 2008 in Romania: not participated
• 2009 in Romania: not participated
• 2010 in Romania: 1st place
• 2011 in Romania: 4th place
• 2012 in Romania: not participated
• 2013 in Romania: not participated
• 2014 in Romania: not participated
• 2015 in Romania: 4th place (last place)
• 2016 in Romania: 3rd place
• 2017 in Uruguay : 4th place 
• 2018 in Uruguay: did not participate
• 2019 in Uruguay: 4th place (last place)

International matches

Status: October 14, 2019

country	Games	Won	Lost	draw
Arabia	1	1	0	0
Argentina	3	0	3	0
Australia	1	0	1	0
Ivory Coast	4th	2	1	1
Fiji	2	0	2	0
France	4th	0	4th	0
Georgia	5	1	4th	0
Germany	3	3	0	0
Hong Kong	1	1	0	0
Ireland	4th	2	2	0
Italy	4th	2	2	0
Canada	3	0	2	1
Kenya	11	9	2	0
Madagascar	4th	3	1	0
Morocco	8th	5	2	1
New Zealand	2	0	2	0
Portugal	8th	6th	2	0
Romania	6th	1	5	0
Russia	7th	2	5	0
Zambia	2	2	0	0
Samoa	2	0	2	0
Senegal	4th	4th	0	0
Zimbabwe	32	29	3	0
Spain	7th	2	5	0
South Africa	3	0	3	0
Tonga	2	0	2	0
Tunisia	11	8th	3	0
Uganda	5	4th	1	0
Uruguay	4th	1	3	0
Wales	4th	0	4th	0
Total	157	89	66	2

Squad

The following players make up the squad for the 2019 World Cup :

player	position	society	International matches
Obert Nortjé	hooker	UNAM	15th
Louis van der Westhuizen	hooker	Leopards	19th
Torsten van Jaarsveld	hooker	Aviron Bayonnais	14th
Aranos Coetzee	pier	Free State Cheetahs	21st
AJ de Klerk	pier	Wanderers	28
André Rademeyer	pier	Wanderers	3
Desiderius Sethie	pier	UNAM	12
Nelius Theron	pier	Leopards	5
Johan Retief	Second row striker	Leopards	77
Tijuee Uanivi	Second row striker	RC Massy	30th
PJ van Lill	Second row striker	Aviron Bayonnais	50
Adriaan Booysen	Winger	Wanderers	5
Wian Conradie	Winger	UJ rugby	17th
Thomasau Forbes	Winger	without a club	17th
Prince! Gaoseb	Winger	UNAM	2
Max Katjijeko	Winger	UNAM	13
Rohan Kitshoff	Winger	Wanderers	44
Janco Venter	Winger	Jersey Reds	23
Eugene Jantjies	Half of the crowd	Wanderers	67
Helarius Kisting	Half of the crowd	UNAM	8th
Damian Stevens	Half of the crowd	Boland Cavaliers	25th
Cliven Loubser	Interconnects	Wanderers	15th
Darryl de la Harpe	Inner three quarters	Wanderers	49
Johan Deysel	Inner three quarters	US Colomiers	24
Justin Newman	Inner three quarters	Leopards	14th
Janry you Toit	Inner three quarters	Wanderers	2
JC Greyling	Inner three quarters	Wanderers	32
Lesley Kim	Outer three-quarters	UNAM	11
PJ Walters	Outer three-quarters	Western suburbs	0
Chad Plato	Goalkeeper	UNAM	2
Johann Tromp	Goalkeeper	Wanderers	40

Juniors

From 2013 to 2018, the junior team was African champion, but surprisingly lost the 2019 final against Kenya 18-21.

At the World Rugby Under 20 Trophy , the junior national team performed as follows:

• 2008: 5th place
• 2009: 5th place
• 2010: not qualified
• 2011: not qualified
• 2012: not qualified
• 2013: 8th place
• 2014: 6th place
• 2015: 6th place
• 2016: 4th place
• 2017: 4th place
• 2018: 4th place
• 2019: not qualified

annotation

1. ↑ Note: This article contains characters from the alphabet of the Khoisan languages spoken in southern Africa . The display contains characters of the click letters ǀ , ǁ , ǂ and ǃ . For more information on the pronunciation of long or nasal vowels or certain clicks , see e.g. B. under Khoekhoegowab .

See also

• Namibian women's national rugby union team

Web links

Commons : Namibian National Rugby Union Team  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Namibian Rugby Union (English)
• Statistics from Namibia at rugbydata.com (English)
• Namibia ( Memento from October 7, 2014 in the Internet Archive )

Individual evidence

1. ^ World Rugby Rankings. world.rugby, February 4, 2020, accessed November 26, 2019 . 
2. ↑ NRU reappoints Diergaardt as head coach. Namibia Press Agency, March 5, 2020.
3. ↑ DRV XV loses significantly against World Cup participants Namibia. German Rugby Association, October 29, 2014, accessed October 30, 2014
4. ↑ Deysel to lead Namibia at World Cup after Bothma quits. The Namibian, September 2, 2019 (English).  
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g} UNAM proud of World Cup-bound players. Namibia Press Agency, September 10, 2019.
6. ↑ Kenya beat Namibia in the U-20 Rugby Africa trophy final. Namibia Press Agency , April 8, 2019.