KAMPALA, UGANDA — The Welwitschias, Namibia’s national rugby team, started their defense of the Rugby Africa Cup with a decisive 38-5 win against Burkina Faso, but head coach Allister Coetzee expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s performance. Despite the victory in their opening match of the tournament, which began on July 20, Coetzee highlighted several areas needing improvement.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the team struggled with execution, particularly in set pieces and line-outs, which are usually their strength. “We were off-colour, we made a lot of unforced errors in our set pieces especially the line-out, where we were supposed to apply pressure,” he stated. The coach pointed out that failing to score in the first 30 minutes undermined their strategic approach, and the seven penalties conceded in the first half allowed Burkina Faso to build confidence and pressure.

The 2024 Rugby Africa Cup, featuring top eight unions across Africa, is being held in Uganda at the refurbished Mandela National Stadium and Wankulukuku Stadium, until July 28. The Welwitschias, despite their rocky start, remain focused on their next challenge, facing Zimbabwe, who also won their first match against host nation Uganda.

“Our goal was to win the first match which we did, and we now have a lot of work against Zimbabwe,” Coetzee added, noting the importance of preparation for the upcoming match. “We are going to do our homework and prepare accordingly against them. We hope our next game won’t be an early one, which will help with logistics; we know Zimbabwe has good players, but we are ready for this tough match.”

The semi-finals will see Namibia facing Zimbabwe at Mutesa II Stadium Wankulukuku on Wednesday, July 24, 2024. The Welwitschias are aiming to continue their quest to retain the championship title, navigating through the competition’s challenges.