Africa-Press – Namibia. A 45-man under 20 national rugby squad has been selected following national trials last weekend in preparation for the Africa Barthes Cup which will take place in Kenya in April.
After Saturday’s trials, national u20 coach Chrysander Botha said he was happy with the turnout.
“It was a wonderful day – we started off with about 80 players this morning and divided them up into four games and then we had a final game at the end. A lot of good things came out during these matches, so it’s a good start and we now have a good basis to build on,” he said.
“We’ve got players from all over, all the way from the west coast, from Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, we’ve got players from the south, and a couple of players from the north from places like Otavi, so all the regions were covered I think,” he added.
Namibia could not compete at last year’s Barthes Cup after Covid-19 disrupted their preparations, but Botha said 12 players from that squad still remained.
“We’ve got about 12 players left from the 26 that were supposed to go last year, so it’s a good chore group and you can see the difference that these guys make, because they bring a bit of seniority and they lead the young guys well,” he said.
With their South African-based players having returned to their universities and clubs, Botha said they will continue to train in Windhoek over the next few weeks with the local based players.
“With all the guys leaving now we need a chore group of players in Windhoek to attend training sessions. So as soon as the team has been finalised we will start preparing for the Barthes Cup in April.”
Namibia has dominated the Barthes Cup in the past, winning it for seven years in a row from 2012 to 2018, but in recent years Kenya has taken over the mantle of African junior champions, after beating Namibia 21-18 in the 2019 final, and Madagascar 21-20 in last year’s final.
Botha, however, said he was confident of his team’s chances of reclaiming the title.
“The aim is always to win, you never prepare to lose, so I think if we prepare well and if we get the necessary support and backing, we can only do well,” he said.
The Namibian squad is as follows:
Props:
Jano Otto, Lucky Mauha, James Afrikaner, Iyambo Tshuuya, Dominic Diedericks, Bernd Beddies, Johann Brockmann.
Hookers:
Upahee Muhuura, Frikkie Engelbrecht, Frederich Grobbelaar, Franco Pearson.
Locks:
Henri Rossouw, Conwille Draghoender, Christiaan de Sousa, Lister Cochrane, Imbondi Shuuveni.
Loose forwards:
Luca Cindano, Rowan Jansen, Alexander Jansen, Riaan Grove, Joe Losper, Ray-Eez Feris, Gregory Namaseb, Cody Dean Dentlinger.
Scrumhalves:
Oela Blaauw, Brian Bayer, Enrique Husselmann.
Flyhalves:
Nathan Isaacs, Adriaan Steenkamp, Geraldo Beukes, Dhaamin Bassardien, Ethan Koopman.
Centres:
Rashano van Rooi, Michael Tjazerua, Jonathan Hanekom, Darren Beukes, Patrick Karsten, Niel Holtzhausen.
Outside backs:
Owen Hawanga, Quirine Madjiedt, Keenan Januarie, Hendrick Schalkwyk, Constantine Mazibuko, Janes van Zyl and Bevin Kotzee.
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