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It doesn’t get any easier for this Namibia Rugby team as they face off against the All Blacks at the Tokyo Stadium on Sunday 6 October. They finish their Rugby World Cup 2019 campaign with the game they would have targeted ever since the pools were determined. They will be leaving nothing on the table in their game against Canada on Sunday 13 October.
More about Namibia Rugby
There is more to Namibia Rugby than just appearing at a Rugby World Cup every four years. Ryan Jordan had the opportunity to have a chat with Jacques Burger, a very proud Namibian who played for his national side, as well as the Bulls in South Africa and Saracens in England.
Below is a precis of their chat.
RJ: How healthy is rugby in Namibia?
JB: It is a tough environment to operate in, but there is not enough happening in terms of development. Namibia has a rugby culture and the talent is there. Namibian rugby definitely needs more in terms of player development and coaching clinics. It is also difficult to get into the more rural areas.
The local club leagues are not strong and the quality is declining a bit. Namibia only has around 900 registered rugby players, so there is a very small pool to draw players from. Take a look at Georgian rugby development. The money and commitment to move forward is there. In Namibia, the planning is not necessarily there. There are quality players, but not enough is happening. Namibian rugby needs more selfless people and management who are prepared to develop the game. Having said that, Head Coach Phil Davies has added a lot to the Namibian team. There are also people and companies around that would like to help more, but only under the correct conditions to ensure the game moves forward and they also get their return on investment.
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RJ: Should Namibia participate in regional tournaments?
JB: It would be good to play more against quality South African teams, like they have in some of their domestic competitions. One of the biggest obstacles is that the game is an amateur code in Namibia. The players have permanent jobs, so training during the day isn’t always possible and travelling is an issue. Ideally, a contracting system would be in place and World Rugby investment funds should end up in the correct hands.
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RJ: How could Namibia play together more as a team?
JB: The best way would be to play more Test matches against other African teams. With respect to all the other African teams, the quality of teams excluding South Africa is not great. However, playing against them will help Namibia with more opportunity to play and will help other African teams by playing against stronger competition.
RJ: How can Namibia Rugby do better at Rugby World Cups?
JB: Again with all due respect to the other African rugby playing nations, the problem for Namibia is that qualifying for the Rugby World Cup is relatively easy. They are then faced with a huge step up in quality when they arrive at the tournament.
Something that can be done to help both Namibia rugby and other teams like those from the Pacific Islands would be to arrange Test matches between each other to allow the teams to firstly play together and secondly to play against quality opposition.