19 game losing run won't deter Rugby World Cup's undisputed underdogs
Phil Davies and his Namibian players can clinch a sixth successive qualification for the Rugby World Cup by defeating Kenya in Windhoek on Saturday and earn the chance to end a 19 game losing run, stretching back to their Cup debut in 1999.
Namibia, who lead the six team Africa Gold Cup/World Cup qualifier table with 20 points, are unbeaten and need only a draw to take the title and join defending champions New Zealand, South Africa, Italy and the repechage winner in Pool B in Japan next year. Kenya are second on 17 points which means they have to grab four points on Saturday to avoid November’s Rugby World Cup repechage in Marseille against Canada, Hong Kong and Germany.
Davies, who won 46 caps for Wales, was director of rugby at Leeds, Cardiff Blues and the Scarlets before becoming Namibia’s coaching advisor at the 2015 World Cup and took up the head coach role following the departure of Danie Vermeulen after the finals in England that saw Namibia lose 17-16 to Georgia in Exeter.
With one of those repechage teams and the inconsistent Italians in Pool B, that first World Cup finals win for Namibia is a real possibility and Davies wants a big finish to the qualification campaign on Saturday. Davies told RugbyPass from Windhoek: “This match is a marvellous opportunity for the boys who are three points ahead in the table but we still have to play a very good Kenyan team. I am very pleased we are in Windhoek and have given ourselves a marvellous opportunity to go to the World Cup in Japan with a real chance to win a game.
“That is the challenge we are facing and people talk about the repechage team and Italy being in that Pool, but let’s remember the Italians are a professional outfit with Conor (O’Shea) coaching them and they will be formidable. First, we have to play well in front of what we hope is going to be a big crowd in Windhoek and get the result – then we can start looking at how we can improve the players.
“This tournament has been exciting and we have played some great stuff, particularly winning in Zimbabwe but we also looked awful at times in that game. It comes down to consistency.
“It has been an interesting three and half years and when we took this on, one of the things we talked to World Rugby about was creating a legacy.
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“It is has been an interesting journey and we have created a national academy and a high performance centre along the way. The Currie Cup has been massive for us and while the results have not been brilliant, the progression has been upwards over the last three years. If we can get what we deserve against Kenya we can then start getting the boys in the right physical shape to get that first win. Hopefully, I will wake up on Sunday morning with a big headache!”
Ospreys new singing Lesley Klim is in the Namibian squad, but regular captain Renaldo Bothma has not recovered in time from a third broken arm in 12 months and has stayed with Harlequins to continue his rehabilitation work. Davies has been delighted with the qualification campaign so far and is hoping to add players like Bothma to his squad for planned matches in November.
He said: “We believe that home-based Namibian players provide the heartbeat of the national team have introduced 25 new players at senior level, over the past two years, including many of our outstanding Under-20 players. In the 2015 World Cup the average age of our squad was 31 and the current group has an average age of 24.
“We are looking for players with a real point of difference and we have Renaldo Bothma at Quins, Torsten van Jaarsveld at Bayonne, Divan Rossouw at the Bulls and Anton Bresler at Worcester. We have another group of eight or nine U20’s at the Bulls and Sharks Academies.”
Kenya, who defeated Tunisia 67-0 in their last match, have Dalmus Chituyi, Felix Ayange and Curtis Lilako back in their squad and Ian Snook, their Kiwi head coach, is hoping to pull off a shock result. He said: “Our hopes and aspirations is that we play really well and piece together 80 minutes of what has only been seen for 40 or so minutes in the other games. The Tunisian game provided a bit of everything which the players will learn from.
“I’m expecting that the players are ready for an 80 minute effort and are really looking forward to it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments