Namibia national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia
at rugby union
. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board
(IRB) tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup
competitions since their first appearance in 1999
. They are governed by the Namibia Rugby Union
.
Namibia has been playing international rugby since the early 1900s. As well as having competed at the World Cup, Namibia annually competes in the Africa Cup
. Until independence, players for Namibia were also eligible to represent South Africa
, with Namibian-born Springboks including Jan Ellis and, more recently, Percy Montgomery
. They are the second best team from Africa and the most likely first team candidate to join the second tier of world rugby.
. The team achieved their best result in the 1989 season, where they finished third.
The Namibia Rugby Union was formed in March 1990, and it joined the International Rugby Board in the same month. Independence came too late for Namibia to qualify for Rugby World Cup 1991. Hardened by regular, tough competition in the Currie Cup, the first few years of Namibian rugby union were relatively successful, their highest point being 2–0 home series victories over Ireland
and Italy
in 1991. That year the Welwitschias won all 10 of their Tests, the others being five victories against Zimbabwe and one against Portugal
in Lisbon
.
During the international seasons Namibia played six games; the first of which was a 55–23 win over Zimbabwe. Following another victiory over Zimbabwe, in 1993 Namibia played Wales
in Windhoek, losing 23–38. Namibia completed big victories over the Arabian Gulf rugby team, Kenya
and Zimbabwe in the initial rounds of 1995 Rugby World Cup qualifying
.
Russia toured Namibia in 1994, defeating the home team 31–12 in Windhoek. Although Namibia defeated Zimbabwe that year, the team lost to Côte d'Ivoire
and drew with Morocco
(all in Casablanca
). In 1996 Namibia played two matches; losing 13–15 to Zimbabwe, and then defeating them by one point in a subsequent meeting. They played two games in 1997 as well, losing to Tonga
and Zimbabwe.
During 1998 Namibia took part in the African tournaments for 1999 Rugby World Cup qualification. They started out in Round 3, where they finished second in the pool behind Zimbabwe on points difference (defeating Zimbabwe but losing to Tunisia
). Namibia defeated Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco and Zimbabwe to qualify for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
.
The team's participation was put in doubt when the Namibian government's Sports Commission barred the team from participating in a South African competition it had been using as preparation, and threatened to stop the team from taking part in the World Cup. This followed criticisms from non-white rugby clubs that the Namibian Rugby Union displayed racist attitudes. Ultimately, however, the team were allowed to take part.
The 1999 World Cup marked their debut at the tournament and since then they have been Africa's second representative alongside South Africa. While they suffered heavy defeats by France
, Fiji
and Canada
, they took pride in scoring an early try
and being level with France after 20 minutes.
However with a small player base, and lacking frequent or strong competition, the team has deteriorated in recent years. Their record in the World Cups has been poor as they have not yet managed a win. Their record defeat, 142–0 against Australia in the 2003 tournament, led to some questioning the presence of the minor teams at the tournament.
Namibia initially struggled in the qualifiers for the 2007 tournament, suffering a shock defeat to Kenya
, their first ever to the East African nation, and another to Tunisia
. After the Kenya defeat they slumped to 28th in the IRB rankings. However, after defeating Tunisia at home, they were effectively through to two deciding matches against Morocco, to determine which of the two African nations would make it to France in 2007. They convincingly won both legs, qualifying for the World Cup.
As the lowest ranked team at the start of the 2007 World Cup, they were given no chance in their opening game of against Ireland. However, they frustrated Ireland, then the 5th ranked team in the world, and scored two tries for their narrowest World Cup loss of 17–32. They were convincingly beaten in their games with Argentina (63–3) and France (87–10). And, in the game in which they were seen as having the best chance to win, they suffered a disappointing 30–0 loss to Georgia, to end the tournament winless.
The African side was able to win surprisingly the IRB Nations Cup in 2010, proving their improvement at international level.
Namibia achieved their third World Cup qualification in a row after defeating Ivory Coast in 2011. They were drawn into Pool D, with South Africa, Wales, Fiji and Samoa. Their first match in the Rugby World Cup, held in New Zealand (at the Rotorua International Stadium) resulted in a defeat by Fiji by 45-29. Their second match in this tournament was a 49–12 loss to Samoa but the third was a 87-0 loss to South Africa. In their final pool game, Wales proved to be too strong, as Namibia conceded 12 tries in a 81-7 defeat. Theuns Kotze
provided his side's one consolation, as his conversion of a Heinz Koll try made him Namibia's all time highest Rugby World Cup points scorer.
(*) Results against full national sides only
.
7 reserves were also named.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
at rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB) tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
competitions since their first appearance in 1999
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
. They are governed by the Namibia Rugby Union
Namibia Rugby Union
Namibia Rugby Union is the governing body for rugby union in Namibia.It was formed in March 1990, the same month that it joined the International Rugby Board....
.
Namibia has been playing international rugby since the early 1900s. As well as having competed at the World Cup, Namibia annually competes in the Africa Cup
Africa Cup
The Africa Cup is an annual rugby union tournament involving African nations, organised by the Confederation of African Rugby . The tournament was first held in 2000, and has since been contested on an annual basis...
. Until independence, players for Namibia were also eligible to represent South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
, with Namibian-born Springboks including Jan Ellis and, more recently, Percy Montgomery
Percy Montgomery
Percival Colin "Percy" Montgomery is a retired South African rugby union player...
. They are the second best team from Africa and the most likely first team candidate to join the second tier of world rugby.
History
Rugby union has been played in the country since 1916 when it was introduced by soldiers from South Africa who had invaded the German-run colony. Before Namibia gained its independence in 1990, the team, as South West Africa, played in South Africa's domestic club competition, the Currie CupCurrie Cup
The Currie Cup tournament is South Africa's premier domestic rugby union competition, played each winter and spring , featuring teams representing either entire provinces or substantial regions within provinces...
. The team achieved their best result in the 1989 season, where they finished third.
The Namibia Rugby Union was formed in March 1990, and it joined the International Rugby Board in the same month. Independence came too late for Namibia to qualify for Rugby World Cup 1991. Hardened by regular, tough competition in the Currie Cup, the first few years of Namibian rugby union were relatively successful, their highest point being 2–0 home series victories over Ireland
Ireland national rugby union team
The Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
and Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
in 1991. That year the Welwitschias won all 10 of their Tests, the others being five victories against Zimbabwe and one against Portugal
Portugal national rugby union team
The Portugal national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side representing Portugal. They first played in 1935 and now compete in the European Nations Cup. Rugby union in Portugal is administered by the Federação Portuguesa de Rugby. Portugal qualified for their first Rugby World Cup in...
in Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
.
During the international seasons Namibia played six games; the first of which was a 55–23 win over Zimbabwe. Following another victiory over Zimbabwe, in 1993 Namibia played Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in Windhoek, losing 23–38. Namibia completed big victories over the Arabian Gulf rugby team, Kenya
Kenya national rugby union team
The Kenya national rugby union team is the Kenyan national team in Rugby. it is controlled by the Kenya Rugby Football Union.The team participates Confederation of African Rugby tournaments, but has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup....
and Zimbabwe in the initial rounds of 1995 Rugby World Cup qualifying
1995 Rugby World Cup qualifying
Forty-three nations took part in the qualifying campaign for the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa. 16 teams participated in the finals tournament, seven of which came through qualifying matches...
.
Russia toured Namibia in 1994, defeating the home team 31–12 in Windhoek. Although Namibia defeated Zimbabwe that year, the team lost to Côte d'Ivoire
Côte d'Ivoire national rugby union team
The Ivory Coast national rugby union team, nicknamed Les Éléphants, represents Côte d'Ivoire in rugby union. The team is recognised as Ivory Coast by the International Rugby Board...
and drew with Morocco
Morocco national rugby union team
The Morocco national rugby union team are a national sporting side, representing Morocco in rugby union. The team is also known as the Atlas Lions. Morocco is governed by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Rugby. Morocco competes in the Africa Cup annually. The team has won the competition in 2003...
(all in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
). In 1996 Namibia played two matches; losing 13–15 to Zimbabwe, and then defeating them by one point in a subsequent meeting. They played two games in 1997 as well, losing to Tonga
Tonga national rugby union team
The Tonga national rugby union team is nicknamed Ikale Tahi . Like their Polynesian neighbours, the Tongans start their matches with a war dance – the Kailao . They are members of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance along with Fiji and Samoa...
and Zimbabwe.
During 1998 Namibia took part in the African tournaments for 1999 Rugby World Cup qualification. They started out in Round 3, where they finished second in the pool behind Zimbabwe on points difference (defeating Zimbabwe but losing to Tunisia
Tunisia national rugby union team
The Tunisia national rugby union team is the national team of Tunisia, a third tier rugby union nation. They first started competing in 1979 and they competed, unsuccessfully in the African qualification for the 2007 Rugby World Cup....
). Namibia defeated Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco and Zimbabwe to qualify for the 1999 Rugby World Cup
1999 Rugby World Cup
The 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
.
The team's participation was put in doubt when the Namibian government's Sports Commission barred the team from participating in a South African competition it had been using as preparation, and threatened to stop the team from taking part in the World Cup. This followed criticisms from non-white rugby clubs that the Namibian Rugby Union displayed racist attitudes. Ultimately, however, the team were allowed to take part.
The 1999 World Cup marked their debut at the tournament and since then they have been Africa's second representative alongside South Africa. While they suffered heavy defeats by France
France national rugby union team
The France national rugby union team represents France in rugby union. They compete annually against England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales in the Six Nations Championship. They have won the championship outright sixteen times, shared it a further eight times, and have completed nine grand slams...
, Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
and Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
, they took pride in scoring an early try
Try
A try is the major way of scoring points in rugby league and rugby union football. A try is scored by grounding the ball in the opposition's in-goal area...
and being level with France after 20 minutes.
However with a small player base, and lacking frequent or strong competition, the team has deteriorated in recent years. Their record in the World Cups has been poor as they have not yet managed a win. Their record defeat, 142–0 against Australia in the 2003 tournament, led to some questioning the presence of the minor teams at the tournament.
Namibia initially struggled in the qualifiers for the 2007 tournament, suffering a shock defeat to Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, their first ever to the East African nation, and another to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
. After the Kenya defeat they slumped to 28th in the IRB rankings. However, after defeating Tunisia at home, they were effectively through to two deciding matches against Morocco, to determine which of the two African nations would make it to France in 2007. They convincingly won both legs, qualifying for the World Cup.
As the lowest ranked team at the start of the 2007 World Cup, they were given no chance in their opening game of against Ireland. However, they frustrated Ireland, then the 5th ranked team in the world, and scored two tries for their narrowest World Cup loss of 17–32. They were convincingly beaten in their games with Argentina (63–3) and France (87–10). And, in the game in which they were seen as having the best chance to win, they suffered a disappointing 30–0 loss to Georgia, to end the tournament winless.
The African side was able to win surprisingly the IRB Nations Cup in 2010, proving their improvement at international level.
Namibia achieved their third World Cup qualification in a row after defeating Ivory Coast in 2011. They were drawn into Pool D, with South Africa, Wales, Fiji and Samoa. Their first match in the Rugby World Cup, held in New Zealand (at the Rotorua International Stadium) resulted in a defeat by Fiji by 45-29. Their second match in this tournament was a 49–12 loss to Samoa but the third was a 87-0 loss to South Africa. In their final pool game, Wales proved to be too strong, as Namibia conceded 12 tries in a 81-7 defeat. Theuns Kotze
Theuns Kotze
Theuns Kotze is a Namibian rugby union player. He has played two international matches for the Namibia national rugby union team, making his début against Portugal on 15 June 2011. On 10 September 2011 playing against Fiji in the 2011 Rugby World Cup, he scored 15 points, the highest individual...
provided his side's one consolation, as his conversion of a Heinz Koll try made him Namibia's all time highest Rugby World Cup points scorer.
World Cup record
- 1987/1991 – Did not enter
- 1995 – Did not qualify
- 1999/2003/2007/2011 – Qualified
Record against other Nations
Their test match record against all nations, updated to 22th September 2011, is as follows:| Nation | Games | Won | Lost | Drawn | Percentage of wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | |
| A | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 50% | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | |
| 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0% | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 50% | |
| 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 66.7% | |
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 7 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 57.1% | |
| 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 80% | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100 % | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 57.14% | |
| 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 50% | |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0% | |
| 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0% | |
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100% | |
| 23 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 86.4% | |
| Total (*) | 87 | 46 | 40 | 1 | 52.9% |
(*) Results against full national sides only
Current squad
30-man Namibia squad for the 2011 Rugby World Cup2011 Rugby World Cup
The 2011 Rugby World Cup was the seventh Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. The International Rugby Board selected New Zealand as the host country in preference to Japan and South Africa at a meeting in Dublin on 17 November 2005...
.
7 reserves were also named.