The second-best African side in the tournament became the first team to leave it following their fourth defeat earlier today at the hands of Wales (81-7). The Namibians, or Welwitschias (a monotypic genus of gymnosperm plant found only in Namibia and Angola – thanks Wikipedia), struggled to make a dent on the tournament and generally lived up to their ranking, placed at 19th by the IRB.
Best moment: giving Fiji an apparent run for their money in the opening game – the final score was Fiji 49-25 Namibia and saw two tries scored, seeming to herald a new dawn for the African side, which naturally failed to materialize. Individual moments of brilliance were shown in Danie van Wyk’s try from halfway against Samoa after a neat kick-and-gather by Llewellyn Winkler, and Heinz Koll’s deft run and try against Wales.
Worst moment: undoubtedly the 87-0 thrashing at the hands of South Africa. Hyped by some sources as “the African Derby”, the Springboks trampled all over the Weltwischias. That works on multiple levels.
Most points scored by: Theun Kotze, Namibia’s fly-half, who finished the tournament with 24 points.
Best player: despite not scoring any points, the Namibia captain Jacques Burger, who plays for Saracen, was instrumental in ensuring that the team’s performances weren’t necessarily always reflected by the final results.
No comments:
Post a Comment