Welwitchias good to go against Zimbabwe

Rugby
Otis Daniels
  • 1 Month Ago 24 July 2024
Matchday two of the exciting 2024 Rugby Africa Cup in Uganda’s capital Kampala contains two blockbuster semi-finals today.

Dangerous underdogs Algeria, ranked 64th (up five places on this week’s world ranking) will take on Kenya (34th) in the first semifinal at 13:00 (Namibian time).

This battle between the current leading rugby nations in East and North Africa should be very interesting. Algeria announced themselves in a big way at the previous Rugby Africa Cup in 2022, bullying the Kenyan pack in the scrums and mauls in a dramatic 33-36 semi-final loss, before beating Zimbabwe 20-12 for a historic bronze medal.

Rugby Africa’s defending champion Namibia will tackle Zimbabwe at 15:00 in the second semi-final. The Welwitschias are ranked 24th (down from 23rd last week) and Zimbabwe 30th according to the latest World Rugby rankings.

The rivalry between the two countries dates back to 1990. The Zimbabweans, nicknamed the Sables, had been the first African team at the first World Cup tournaments in 1987 and 1991. Although Ivory Coast surprised with qualification for the 1995 tournament in South Africa, Namibia has since took over as Africa’s representative at the last seven consecutive World Cups.

Although Rugby Africa Cup 2025 (due to be hosted in Kampala again) will be the continental decider for the 2027 World Cup, winning the current eight-team tournament should ensure Namibia a favourable draw.

Namibia coach and director of rugby, Allister Coetzee, has brought a squad lacking much of the core of foreign-based professionals that drove much of the last two World Cup cycles.

Coetzee expects a stiff challenge for his new combination and says the Welwitschias’ approach today will be centered on winning the collisions.

“We must be at our most physical, especially around the contact areas. Zimbabwe is a good side with experienced players in their team. They also have a good set-piece going in the scrums and line-outs. At the breakdown, that is where the challenge will be.”

Coetzee expressed satisfaction with how his team responded in training sessions since last Saturday’s 38-5 opening win against Burkina Faso.

“We have trained well. I think the players understand the importance of this semi-final. We were not sharp in the first match against Burkina Faso and did not look after our ball possession properly.”

He added that the performance also comes down to adapting to the conditions. “It's very humid and the ball becomes a bit slippery. We addressed these issues in training.

“We came through the Burkina Faso match without any injuries. Two of our players have been treated for a bit of flu, but other than that, we are good to go.”

All matches are expected to be streamed live on YouTube (youtube.com/@Kawowo, or youtube.com/@RugbyAfrique).