Culture
Namibian rugby began at the beginning of the 20th century. The country, which used to be a part of South Africa, inherited the sport and sporting culture. The Namibian rugby team, nicknamed Welwitschias which is Afrikaans for African Fish Eagle. Similarly to there South African neighbours, the Namibian rugby team had its racial issues in the past being referred to as Biltongboere by Caucasian Namibians. Namibia's Rugby Union's chief executive officer condemned this as racist, and replaced the nickname with Welwitschias, which better reflects the backgrounds of the multicultural team. The Namibian rugby union has its roots playing rugby in South Africa's third division Currie Cup. The team gained invaluable experience from this and went on to become Africa's best rugby team under South Africa, also besting numerous European teams in its history. Until Namibia's independence in 1990 Namibian players were eligible to represent South Africa, most notably Springbok legend Percy Montgomery.
Play Style
After many years of playing against neighbouring South African teams team Namibia developed similar tactics and strategies. The bulk of the Namibian game revolves around the forward pack, which act as the powerhouse of the team building momentum, and driving the team up the field. The backline is then controlled and lead by the halves paring who form a tactical bond in the momentum of the team, swinging the ball out after multiple phases in the forwards. On the other hand Namibian rugby is probably slightly more open than South African rugby due to the nature of rugby across Africa. Namibia's biggest rivals come in the form of Kenya and Zimbabwe; both excel at the loose game, particularly the former who has had great success in the shortened version of the game on the HSBC world 7's tour. Playing against such teams encourage Namibia to play more creative rugby that is much more enjoyable to watch.
Flickr (Rugby Streaming)
Fast Facts:
Players: 9,317
RWC Results: N/A
IRB World Ranking: 22nd with 58.29
Best Result 2014: Vs. Germany 58-20
Coach: Danie Vermeulen
Captain: Jacques Burger