Welwitschias continue to dominate qualifiers – 2019 Rugby World Cup participation looks bright
The national rugby team, the Welwitschias over the weekend recorded their third consecutive win in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018 when they dismissed Morocco’s Atlas Lions in Casablanca, 63-07.
With the recent win Namibia now sits on top of the tables with 15 points in the competition.
The Welwitschias next test is against Zimbabwe on 4 August followed by the game against Kenya on 18 August.
After Saturday’s game, Welwitschias, Captain Johan Deysel said, “We knew this team was physical, so we matched them. We made a good job, and I think we were lucky to get the 5 points. We got here on Tuesday and we prepared well, even though travelling long-distance is hard. Congrats to Morocco for a good game and a good spirit.”
Morocco captain Hocine Arabat also added, “We lost today, but we faced a great team, very fast in the backs. They exploited our errors and lost balls. We’re in the African Gold Cup and there is still a lot of work to stay at this level. We still have two games to play and we’ll try everything to win.”
Abdelaziz Bougja, chairman of World Rugby’s African association, Rugby Africa said, “I think Namibia was too strong today. With all the injuries the Moroccan team have picked up, they have shown a lot of courage. Needless to say, the histories are different, preparation is different. Namibia has represented Africa so many times at the World Cup, they can count on support from World Rugby and it shows on the field. There is a huge difference in the means put into the teams’ preparations. Most importantly, we watched a very good game of rugby, in spite of the 50-points difference.”
Next week, Tunisia is hosting Zimbabwe, while Kenya takes on Uganda. For Morocco, the final two games will both be away. First, against Uganda on 11 August, then against Tunisia on 18 August. (APO)
