Carlos Kambaekwa
4 September 2008
Windhoek — Namibia's Under-19 Rugby Fifteen returned home to a rousing welcome following the team's triumph in the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Youth Championship in Tunis, Tunisia, last weekend.
The youngsters narrowly defeated Zimbabwe in the final of the six-nation tournament to clinch a place in the finals of the annual International Rugby Board (IRB) World Youth Trophy Championship, to be staged at a yet to be confirmed venue, early next year.
A clearly fired up President of the Namibian Rugby Union Dirk Conradie minced no words and shot from the hip as he climbed bare fists into the critics of rugby at a press briefing in honour of the team's achievement in Windhoek, yesterday.
"Over the years there has been external forces resorting to all sort of tricks in a desperate bid to derail our efforts but we have proven them wrong on numerous occasions with great performances on the field of play," charged the outspoken lawyer.
Conradie blasted the local corporate business for their reluctance to throw their weight behind the game of rugby despite this particular discipline's prowess on the playing field.
"Rugby is the only sport code in this country to participate in each World Cup finals - both the senior and junior teams - and yet we are not getting the recognition we deserve, that's a shame!
"We do not want to find ourselves in the same boat as the Namibian contingent to the recent Beijing Olympics where the athletes appeared to be totally ill-prepared as a result of insufficient funding."
Conradie illustrated the NRU's strategic plan for the 2011 IRB World Cup finals in New Zealand.
"We have a strategic plan in place and that is to mould these youngsters into a formidable team to represent Namibia at the 2011 World Cup finals. We want to have a team that will not only qualify and participate in the global event, but a competitive side and I would like to urge all stakeholders including the government to rally behind us and pump more money into the coffers of rugby to enable us to realize our targeted objectives."
He applauded the union's financial backers MTC who came to the team's rescue for the umpteenth time when the financial hiccups grounded the youngsters prior to their departure to the North African country.
"What more must we do to convince people that rugby is on the right track and surely the performance of our various teams speak volumes. After all, this the seventh time that the national Under-19 team qualifies for a major international event and yet the doubting Thomases are still turning a blind eye on all these insurmountable achievements."
MTC's General-Manager for Corporate Services Albertus Aochamub, better known as "Pabso" in social circles, said his company desires to be associated with winners that would fly the Namibian flag at all times - hence its flirtation with rugby.
"Our company spends millions of dollars in the well-being of local sport annually, and despite the negative reports that have dominated a good chunk of back pages in the local dailies, we remained committed to the cause and will continue to do so. Whatever challenges we face, let us ensure that when teams are doing well we are right there to give them a pat on the back and reward them accordingly."
Aochamub commended the team for their outstanding showing in Tunisia and said the continental cycle has been completed and urged the youngsters to conquer the rest of the world - to loud applause from the packed press conference at rugby's headquarters in Olympia's Lichtenstein-Strasse on the outskirts of Windhoek yesterday.
"We must be able to celebrate victory and not always just moan about the bad things - and what happened in Beijing was not a surprise as our athletes appeared clearly ill prepared because of lack of resources. I would therefore urge fellow corporate businesses and the Government to come up with a business plan accompanied by clearly defined lines that would take our sport to the next level."
He said the good showing of the national Under-19 rugby team has enhanced MTC's commitment towards the development of rugby and his company would not hesitate to support the growth of rugby.
"When we see results like these, we will always support rugby even if we have to break the bank to assist other components of the game such as the introduction of incentives for players, be it in small or in whatever form."
The Deputy-Minister of Youth, National Service, Sports & Culture Pohamba Shifeta expressed his gratitude towards the national rugby administration and said there are always many factors to become a champion.
"As much as most of us envy the players' gutsy showing, I would like to think the good showing is the culmination of collective efforts by the team's management, sponsors and all other stakeholders in the game."
Shifeta said the line ministry is over the moon with the team's achievement and urged the union to take good care of the youngsters with the ultimate view of nurturing them into a competitive side for the 2011 IRB World Cup finals in New Zealand and future international participation.
"Start with preparation now and avoid the Olympic situation and I would like to urge you to put up a programme in place and come up with suggestions on the way forward. I know our current sport policy is outdated and needs to be revisited if we are to be on par with the rest of the world."
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