32| INFORMANTÉ SPORT
14 November - 20 November 2013
sport
Kaplan’s historic final wistle
Edson Haufiku
WHILE Namibia prepares to take
on Kenya in their second match
of the 2013 Windhoek Draught
Tri-Nations tournament on Saturday, the highlight of the game will,
however be on the record-setting
international rugby union referee
Jonathan Kaplan, who is set to referee his 70th and final test match.
The 46-year-old Kaplan, who has
refereed more tests, Vodacom Super
Rugby and Absa Currie Cup matches
than any other referee in history,
steps down after 30 years of refereeing.
The South African’s achievements
and records to date include a world
record, 69 Test matches, a record
99 Vodacom Super Rugby matches,
four World Cup finals, a record 150
Absa Currie Cup matches, including five Currie Cup finals, and three
Vodacom Super Rugby finals.
Speaking to Informanté on Tuesday, Kaplan said his refereeing journey started with a game between
Namibia and Zimbabwe at the
Harare police grounds in 1996, when
Namibia won 19-18.
“My first test match was between
Namibia and Zimbabwe in Harare,
and my final test match will be
between Namibia and Kenya in
Windhoek on Saturday,” Kaplan
said.
“Even though this will be my final
professional match, I will, however,
continue to referee at club and school
levels as a hobby,” Kaplan added.
With reference to the state of
Namibian rugby, Kaplan said it’s
only a matter of exposure and time
spent on the field that is hindering
Namibia to be on the same level as
other test playing nations, such as
South Africa.
He described his handling of the
Currie Cup finals and four British
tours and four World Cups as his
most memorable time on the rugby
field.
“I’m glad to have contributed so
much until the end of my professional career,” Kaplan concluded.
END OF THE ROAD: Jonathan Kaplan (left) pictured with Informanté’s Jan Poolman.
Photo: Edson Haufiku
Injuries rule Brave Warriors’ camp
Edson Haufiku
WARRIORS: Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti flanked by vice captain Enrico
Botes (left) and winger Freedom Puriza.
Photo: Edson Haufiku
THE Brave Warriors camp,
currently in training in preparation to face SADC neighbours
Mozambique in an international friendly, has been hit by
mass player withdrawals, due to
late-minute injuries and off-thefield problems.
All in all, six players have so
far been ruled out of the encounter due to injuries, while two face
personal problems off the field,
bringing the total to eight players
who could not make the training
camp.
Thailand-based
forward
Lazarus Kaimbi, Blue Boys
goalkeeper Gernot Späth, Eslin
Kamuhanga, Riaan Cloete, and
South African-based Larry Horaeb have been ruled out due to
injuries, while Tangeni Shipahu
and defender Da Costa Angula
will not be available due to personal problems.
Kaimbi suffered a concussion
and is recovering from a broken
rib, while Cloete and Kamuhanga
are nursing knee injuries. Horaeb
failed a last-minute fitness test
conducted by his club in South
Africa. Späth, who was expected
to make his first international cap,
got injured in his club’s weekend fixture against Blue Waters.
Späth’s
unavailability
adds
another burden to the Warriors’
goalkeeping woes.
In response to the player withdrawals, Warriors’ coach Ricardo
Mannettti has roped in the services of Amazulu forward Sadney Urikob to replace Osotspa’s
Shipahu, while captain Ronald
Ketjijere and Botswana-based
Jerome Louis are expected to join
the rest of the team over the weekend.
Katjijere who plays for University of Pretoria in the PSL, is
currently busy with exams, with
Louis expected to feature for his
team on Saturday before travelling to Namibia.
New addition and Norwaybased Miguel Hamutenya trained
with the team on Tuesday, after
having arrived in the country the
same morning. The young lad at
20 years of age, has never played
for the senior national team, but
was part and parcel of the national
Under-20 team, under the tutelage
of Mannetti a few years ago.
Veteran striker Enrico Botes
will captain the team in case
Katjijere does not make it on time.
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Sport Reporter
THE MTC Nestor Sunshine Boxing and Fitness Academy will give
boxing fans a befitting Christmas
present by presenting three boxing
events in the space of two weeks.
On 3 December, Immanuel
“Prince” Naidjala will be in action
against, WBO Bantamweight Champion Tomoki Kameda in Japan. This
will undoubtedly be Prince’s biggest
fight of his career. He is the current WBO Bantamweight African
Champion, as well as the IBF International Champion. On 6 December,
the action will shift from Japan to the
Windhoek Country Club, where fans
will be treated to four title fights.
Abmerk Shindjuu will host Zambia’s Pathias Chisenga for the vacant
WBO Africa Flyweight title. Second
on the same night will be Martin
“Black Poison” Haikali who takes
on fellow countryman Peter “The
Butcher” Malakia.
Third on this blockbuster card
will be the hard puncher Sackey
“Izinyoka” Shikukutu taking on
Sherif Kasongo from the Democratic
Republic of Congo for his WBO
Africa Welterweight title, while the
main bout will present the man of the
moment, Wilbeforce “Black Mamba”
Shihepo versus Daniel Wanyonyi
from Kenya for the WBO Africa
Super Middleweight title.
The final tournament of the year
will see the academy taking boxing
to Gobabis on 14 December. Vekapita
“The Beastmaster” Meroro will headline against Tanzanian Said Mbelwa
over 10 rounds.
The main supporting bout will be
Jatoorora Tjingaveta against Tommy
TITLE CONTENDER: Immanuel “Prince” Naidjala (left) will be vying for the WBO Bantamweight world title against Japan’s Tomoki Kameda in the first week of December.
Photo contributed
Hango, and Julius “Blue Machine”
Indongo will take on Takudwa
Kuchocha from Zimbabwe in defence
of his WBO Africa Interim title.
“We had an exciting year, underpinned by so many accolades, we
won a world title, staged international
fights, won and successfully defended
our African and international titles,
our world ranking showed marked
improvements, and we once again
won WBO African titles for the
Best Academy, Best Promoter and
Best African Boxer. As if that is not
enough, we are now heading to Japan
to go and challenge for the world title.
We are therefore indebted to the
magnificent support of the Namibian
people,” said the academy’s owner
and promoter Nestor Tobias.