Namibia national rugby union team

For the Namibian representative rugby union team playing in South African domestic competitions, see Welwitschias.

The Namibia national rugby union team represents Namibia in men's international rugby union competitions nicknamed the Welwitschias, are a tier-two nation in the World Rugby tier system, and have participated in seven Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999. They are governed by the Namibia Rugby Union.

Namibia

Nickname	Welwitschias
Emblem	African fish eagle
Union	Namibia Rugby Union
Head coach	Allister Coetzee
Captain	Johan Deysel
Most caps	Eugene Jantjies (70)
Top scorer	Theuns Kotzé (430)
Top try scorer	Chrysander Botha (28)
Home stadium	Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium
First colours Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current	21 (as of 16 January 2023)
Highest	18 (2017)
Lowest	29 (2006)
First international
South West Africa 0–9 British and Irish Lions (Windhoek, Namibia; 5 July 1955)
Biggest win
Namibia 118–0 Tunisia  (Windhoek, Namibia; 23 June 2018)
Biggest defeat
Australia 142–0 Namibia  (Adelaide, Australia; 25 October 2003)
World Cup
Appearances	7 (First in 1999)
Best result	Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023)
Website	nru.com.na

Namibia has been playing international rugby since the early 1900s. As well as having competed at the World Cup, Namibia annually competes in the Africa Cup. Until independence, players for Namibia were also eligible to represent South Africa, with Namibian-born Springboks including Jan Ellis.

History

1990s

Rugby union has been played in Namibia since 1916 when it was introduced by soldiers from South Africa who had invaded the German-run colony.

Before Namibia gained its independence in 1990, the team, as South West Africa, played in South Africa's domestic club competition, the Currie Cup. The team achieved their best result in the 1988 season, where they finished third.

The Namibia Rugby Union was formed in March 1990, and it joined the International Rugby Board in the same month. Independence came too late for Namibia to qualify for the 1991 Rugby World Cup. Hardened by regular, tough competition in the Currie Cup, the first few years of Namibian rugby union were relatively successful, their highest point being 2–0 home series victories over Ireland and Italy in 1991. That year the Welwitschias won all 10 of their Tests, the others being five victories against Zimbabwe and one against Portugal in Lisbon. One of Namibia's players, Andre Stoop was signed by English champion rugby league club, Wigan.

During the international seasons Namibia played six games; the first of which was a 55–23 win over Zimbabwe. Following another victory over Zimbabwe, in 1993 Namibia played Wales in Windhoek, losing 23–38. Namibia completed big victories over the Arabian Gulf rugby team, Kenya and Zimbabwe in the initial rounds of 1995 Rugby World Cup qualifying.

Russia toured Namibia in 1994, defeating the home team 31–12 in Windhoek. Although Namibia defeated Zimbabwe that year, the team lost to Côte d'Ivoire and drew with Morocco (all in Casablanca). In 1996 Namibia played two matches; losing 13–15 to Zimbabwe, and then defeating them by one point in a subsequent meeting. They played two games in 1997 as well, losing to Tonga and Zimbabwe.

During 1998 Namibia took part in the African tournaments for 1999 Rugby World Cup qualification. They started out in Round 3, where they finished second in the pool behind Zimbabwe on points difference (defeating Zimbabwe but losing to Tunisia). Namibia defeated Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco and Zimbabwe to qualify for the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

The team's participation was put in doubt when the Namibian government's Sports Commission barred the team from participating in a South African competition it had been using as preparation, and threatened to stop the team from taking part in the World Cup. This followed criticisms from non-white rugby clubs that the Namibian Rugby Union displayed racist attitudes.^[1] Ultimately, however, the team were allowed to take part.

The 1999 World Cup marked their debut at the tournament and since then they have been Africa's second representative alongside South Africa. While they suffered heavy defeats by France, Fiji and Canada, they took pride in scoring an early try and being level with France after 20 minutes.

2000–present

2023 Rugby World Cup match between New Zealand (All Blacks) and Namibia in Toulouse, France.

With a small player base, and lacking frequent or strong competition, the team has deteriorated in the 21st century. Their record in the World Cups has been poor as they have not yet managed a win. Their record defeat, 142–0 against Australia in the 2003 tournament, led to some questioning the presence of the minor teams at the tournament.

Namibia initially struggled in the qualifiers for the 2007 tournament, suffering a shock defeat to Kenya, their first ever to the African Great Lakes nation, and another to Tunisia. Following the Kenya loss, the Namibian squad slumped to 28th in the IRB rankings. However, after defeating Tunisia at home, the team was effectively through to two deciding matches against Morocco, to determine which of the two African nations would make it to France in 2007. Namibia convincingly won both legs, qualifying for the World Cup.

As the lowest ranked team at the start of the 2007 World Cup, Namibia was given no chance in its opening game of against Ireland. However, the Namibian squad frustrated Ireland, then the 5th ranked team in the world, and scored two tries for its narrowest World Cup loss of 17–32. They were convincingly beaten in their games with Argentina (63–3) and France (87–10). And, in the game in which they were seen as having the best chance to win, they suffered a disappointing 30–0 loss to Georgia, to end the tournament winless.

The African side was able to win the IRB Nations Cup in 2010.

Namibia achieved their fourth World Cup qualification in a row after defeating Côte d'Ivoire in 2011. They were drawn into Pool D, with South Africa, Wales, Fiji and Samoa. Their first match in the Rugby World Cup held in New Zealand (at the Rotorua International Stadium) resulted in a defeat by Fiji by 45–29. Their second match in this tournament was a 49–12 loss to Samoa but the third was an 87–0 loss to South Africa. In their final pool game, Wales proved to be too strong, as Namibia conceded 12 tries in an 81–7 defeat. Theuns Kotzé provided his side's one consolation, as his conversion of a Heinz Koll try made him Namibia's all-time highest Rugby World Cup points scorer.

The Welwitschias played the 2015 Vodacom Cup, collecting six defeats and one win against the Limpopo Blue Bulls. Namibia qualified for their fourth Rugby World Cup in 2015. They were placed in Pool C with New Zealand, Georgia, Tonga and Argentina. They managed to lose to Georgia by a single point (17–16), their best result ever and winning their first bonus point at the competition.

They qualified for the 2019 Rugby World Cup for the sixth time by winning the Rugby Africa Gold Cup and joined pool B along with South Africa, New Zealand, Italy and Canada.^[2] The team lost to New Zealand, South Africa and Italy, while the match versus Canada was cancelled because of Typhoon Hagibis.

Wins against Tier 1 nations

15 June 1991	Namibia	17–7	Italy	Windhoek

22 June 1991	Namibia	33–19	Italy	Windhoek

20 July 1991	Namibia	15–6	Ireland	Windhoek

27 July 1991	Namibia	26–15	Ireland	Windhoek

South West Africa Record vs Touring Teams

Before independence Namibia played as South West Africa and played touring teams who toured South Africa. ^[3]

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
Australia	3	0	2	1	0.00%	28	71	−43
British and Irish Lions	4	0	4	0	0.00%	22	69	—47
Chile	2	1	1	0	50.00%	66	48	+18
France	2	0	1	1	0.00%	19	48	—29
New Zealand	2	0	2	0	0.00%	3	43	−40
Paraguay	1	1	0	0	100.00%	110	0	+110
Uruguay	1	1	0	0	100.00%	38	22	+16
Southern Rhodesia	6	1	5	0	16.67%	58	136	−78
Total	21	4	15	2	19.05%	344	437	–93

Date	Score	Touring Team	Venue
5 July 1955	0–9	British and Irish Lions	Mabel Vlok Park, Windhoek
11 July 1959	3–19	Southern Rhodesia	Otjiwarongo
8 July 1960	3–27	New Zealand	South West Stadium, Windhoek
27 July 1961	14–14	Australia	South West Stadium, Windhoek
12 June 1962	6–14	British and Irish Lions	South West Stadium, Windhoek
31 July 1963	6–24	Australia	South West Stadium, Windhoek
13 June 1964	15–6	Southern Rhodesia	South West Stadium, Windhoek
13 March 1966	3–19	Southern Rhodesia	Hartsfield Stadium, Bulawayo
15 June 1968	0–23	British and Irish Lions	South West Stadium, Windhoek
21 September 1968	8–34	Southern Rhodesia	South West Stadium, Windhoek
1 September 1969	8–33	Australia	South West Stadium, Windhoek
4 July 1970	0–16	New Zealand	South West Stadium, Windhoek
8 June 1971	6–35	France	South West Stadium, Windhoek
18 May 1974	16–23	British and Irish Lions	South West Stadium, Windhoek
17 June 1975	13–13	France	South West Stadium, Windhoek
7 May 1977	15–22	Southern Rhodesia	South West Stadium, Windhoek
29 October 1983	30–33	Chile	Santiago
5 November 1983	38–22	Uruguay	Montevideo
24 October 1988	36–15	Chile	Santiago
3 November 1988	110–0	Paraguay	Ascuncion

Overall Record

Main article: Namibia at the Rugby World Cup

Men's World Rugby Rankings

• v
• t
• e

Top 30 as of 14 October 2024^[4]

Rank	Change[lower-roman 1]	Team	Points
1		Ireland	092.12
2		South Africa	091.77
3		New Zealand	088.70
4		France	086.96
5		England	085.40
6		Argentina	084.30
7		Scotland	082.82
8		Italy	079.98
9		Fiji	079.64
10		Australia	079.32
11		Wales	076.04
12		Georgia	074.10
13		Samoa	072.68
14		Japan	072.31
15		Portugal	070.61
16		Tonga	068.12
17		Uruguay	067.39
18		Spain	066.29
19		United States	065.70
20		Romania	062.62
21		Chile	061.39
22		Canada	060.81
23		Hong Kong	060.40
24		Russia	058.06
25		Namibia	057.87
26		Switzerland	057.44
27		Netherlands	057.29
28		Zimbabwe	056.03
29		Brazil	055.83
30		Belgium	055.11

1. Change from the previous week

Namibia's historical rankings

See or edit source data.

Source: World Rugby^[4]
Graph updated to 14 October 2024

Below is table of the representative rugby matches played by a Namibia national XV at test level up until 17 July 2024.^[5]

Opponent	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Win %	For	Aga	Diff
Arabian Gulf	1	1	0	0	100.00%	64	20	+44
Argentina	3	0	3	0	0.00%	36	194	−158
Argentina XV	1	0	1	0	0.00%	27	34	−7
Australia	1	0	1	0	0.00%	0	142	−142
Burkina Faso	1	1	0	0	100.00%	71	5	+66
Canada	3	1	2	0	33.33%	67	126	—59
Chile	1	1	0	0	100%	28	26	+2
Fiji	2	0	2	0	0.00%	43	116	−73
France	3	0	3	0	0.00%	23	230	—207
France XV	2	0	2	0	0.00%	36	49	—13
Georgia	5	1	4	0	20.00%	73	112	—39
Germany	2	2	0	0	100.00%	137	33	+104
Hong Kong	1	1	0	0	100.00%	22	12	+10
Ireland	4	2	2	0	50.00%	65	117	−52
Italy	5	2	3	0	40.00%	104	174	—70
Italy A	1	0	1	0	0.00%	21	43	—22
Ivory Coast	6	2	3	1	33.33%	127	98	+29
Kenya	12	10	2	0	83.33%	604	225	+379
Madagascar	5	4	1	0	80.00%	362	94	+268
Morocco	8	5	2	1	62.50%	196	144	+52
New Zealand	3	0	3	0	0.00%	26	200	−174
Portugal	9	6	3	0	66.67%	280	185	+95
Romania	6	1	5	0	16.67%	66	158	−92
Russia	7	2	5	0	28.57%	141	183	−42
Samoa	2	0	2	0	0.00%	25	89	—64
Senegal	4	4	0	0	100.00%	163	40	+123
South Africa	3	0	3	0	0.00%	16	249	—233
Spain	7	2	5	0	28.57%	134	174	—40
Tonga	2	0	2	0	0.00%	35	55	−20
Tunisia	11	8	3	0	72.73%	368	159	+209
Uganda	5	4	1	0	80.00%	244	94	+150
Uruguay	6	1	5	0	16.67%	156	204	−48
Wales	4	0	4	0	0.00%	69	171	−102
West Germany	1	1	0	0	100.00%	54	7	+47
Zambia	2	2	0	0	100.00%	132	20	+112
Zimbabwe	33	30	3	0	90.91%	1239	675	+564
Total	172	94	76	2	54.65%	5,254	4,657	+597

Players

Current squad

On 21 June, Allister Coetzee named a 36-player squad for their July international matches against Blue Bulls and Portugal.

Head Coach: Allister Coetzee

• Caps Updated: 13 July 2024

Player	Position	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Club/province
Armand Combrinck	Hooker	(1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 27)	1	Western Province U21
Edward Drotsky	Hooker		0	FNB Rehoboth
Wikus Jacobs	Hooker		3	Grootfontein
Obert Nortjé	Hooker	(1997-04-17) 17 April 1997 (age 27)	21	Wanderers
Otja Auala	Prop		0	University of Namibia
Jason Benade	Prop	(1995-04-16) 16 April 1995 (age 29)	18	University of Namibia
Chemigan Beukes	Prop	(1995-04-16) 16 April 1995 (age 29)	2	Western Suburbs]
Renard Hatting	Prop		0	Grootfontein
Ian Klitzke	Prop		0	Trustco United
Des Sethie	Prop	(1992-12-09) 9 December 1992 (age 31)	22	University of Namibia
Haitembu Shikufa	Prop	(2000-11-28) 28 November 2000 (age 23)	3	Leopards
Herschelle van Wyk	Prop		2	Wanderers
Adriaan Ludick	Lock	(1998-07-22) 22 July 1998 (age 26)	13	Limoges
Ruan Ludick	Lock	(1994-09-07) 7 September 1994 (age 30)	26	Chartres
Mahepisa Tjeriko	Lock	(1993-05-06) 6 May 1993 (age 31)	12	University of Namibia
Diamando Tjombe	Lock		0	University of Namibia
Johan Retief	Lock	(1995-10-10) 10 October 1995 (age 29)	25	Wanderers
Prince ǃGaoseb	Back row	(1998-07-07) 7 July 1998 (age 26)	17	Wanderers
Adriaan Booysen	Back row	(1996-05-17) 17 May 1996 (age 28)	27	Unattached
Peter Diergaardt	Back row	(1998-08-18) 18 August 1998 (age 26)	0	Wanderers
Cameron Langenhoven	Back row	(1996-06-08) 8 June 1996 (age 28)	1	FNB Kudus
Johan Luttig	Back row	(1996-05-28) 28 May 1996 (age 28)	1	Grootfontein
Max Katjijeko	Back row	(1995-04-08) 8 April 1995 (age 29)	25	Los Angeles
Minyoi Kistings	Back row		0	University of Namibia
Oela Blaauw	Scrum-half	(2001-10-17) 17 October 2001 (age 22)	1	University of Johannesburg
Jahno du Plessis	Scrum-half		0	Trustco United
AJ Kearns	Scrum-half		1	University of Namibia
Jacques Theron	Scrum-half	(1999-03-22) 22 March 1999 (age 25)	8	Wanderers
Denzo Bruwer	Fly-half	(1999-11-22) 22 November 1999 (age 24)	1	Wanderers
Tiaan Swanepoel	Fly-half	(1996-06-04) 4 June 1996 (age 28)	6	Valence-d'Agen
Hillian Beukes	Centre	(1998-07-28) 28 July 1998 (age 26)	9	Wanderers
Danco Burger	Centre	(1998-07-28) 28 July 1998 (age 26)	9	FNB Rehoboth
Natie Janse van Rensburg	Centre		0	Wanderers
Alcino Izaacs	Wing	(1993-11-16) 16 November 1993 (age 30)	8	University of Namibia
Lloyd Jacobs	Wing		1	FNB Kudus
Quiren Madjiedt	Wing		1	University of Johannesburg
Shareave Titus	Wing		0	University of Johannesburg
Nandi Karuuombe	Fullback		0	Wanderers
Jay-Cee Nel	Fullback	(1999-01-07) 7 January 1999 (age 25)	1	Griquas
Lorenzo Louis	Fullback		2	Trustco United

Individual all-time records

Most caps

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Won	Lost	Draw	Win %
1.	Eugene Jantjies	Scrum-half	2006–2019	70	46	24	72	3	15	8	1	35	34	1	50.71
2.	PJ van Lill	Flanker	2006–2023	63	39	24	40	8	0	0	0	31	31	1	50.00
3.	Chrysander Botha	Fullback	2008–2018	55	53	2	209	28	15	13	0	34	20	1	62.72
4.	Tinus du Plessis	Flanker	2006–2016	52	44	8	40	8	0	0	0	27	24	1	52.88
5.	Darryl de la Harpe	Centre	2010–2019	50	39	11	50	10	0	0	0	25	25	0	50.00
6.	Johnny Redelinghuys	Prop	2006–2015	49	31	18	25	5	0	0	0	22	26	1	45.91
7.	JC Greyling	Centre	2014–2023	46	38	8	145	29	0	0	0	25	21	0	56.75
	Johann Tromp	Centre	2012–2021	46	37	9	105	21	0	0	0	26	20	0	55.55
9.	Rohan Kitshoff	Flanker	2010–2019	45	31	14	110	22	0	0	0	24	21	0	53.33
10.	Casper Viviers	Prop	2010-2023	42	31	11	5	1	0	0	0	23	19	0	52.50

Last updated: Namibia vs Uruguay, 27 September 2023. ^[6]

Most tries

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	JC Greyling	Centre	2014–2023	46	38	8	145	29	0	0	0
2.	Chrysander Botha	Fullback	2008–2018	55	53	2	209	28	15	13	0
3.	Gerhard Mans	Wing	1990–1994	27	26	1	114	26	0	0	0
4.	Rohan Kitshoff	Flanker	2010–2019	45	31	14	110	22	0	0	0
	Eden Meyer	Wing	1991–1996	21	20	1	102	22	0	0	0
6.	Johann Tromp	Centre	2012–2021	46	37	9	105	21	0	0	0
7.	Wian Conradie	Flanker	2015-present	30	25	5	90	14	0	0	0
8.	Melrick Afrika	Wing	2003–2007	23	18	5	62	12	1	0	0
	Johan Deysel	Centre	2013-2023	38	36	2	60	12	0	0	0
	Louis van der Westhuizen	Hooker	2013-present	31	15	16	60	12	0	0	0

Last updated: Namibia vs Uruguay, 27 September 2023. ^[7]

Most points

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Start	Sub	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Theuns Kotzé	Fly-half	2011–2017	40	35	5	430	6	110	55	5
2.	Jaco Coetzee	Fly-half	1990–1995	28	27	1	335	6	81	45	3
3.	Cliven Loubser	Fly-half	2017–present	25	23	2	218	5	65	21	0
4.	Chrysander Botha	Fullback	2008–2018	55	53	2	209	28	15	13	0
5.	Mot Schreuder	Fly-half	2002–2007	19	17	2	158	4	42	18	0
6.	JC Greyling	Centre	2014–2023	46	38	8	145	29	0	0	0
7.	Rudie van Vuuren	Fly-half	1997–2003	15	10	5	120	3	27	17	0
8.	Gerhard Mans	Wing	1990–1994	27	26	1	114	26	0	0	0
9.	Rohan Kitshoff	Flanker	2010–2019	45	31	14	110	22	0	0	0
10.	Eden Meyer	Wing	1991–1996	21	20	1	102	22	0	0	0

Last updated: Namibia vs Uruguay, 27 September 2023. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most points in a match

#	Player	Pos	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Justinus van der Westhuizen	Fly-half	33	3	9	0	0	Zambia	Windhoek	26/05/2007
2.	Jaco Coetzee	Fly-half	30	3	6	1	0	Kenya	Nairobi	07/07/1993
3.	Chrysander Botha	Fullback	29	2	5	3	0	Ivory Coast	Windhoek	27/06/2009
4.	Moolman Olivier	Fly-half	26	1	11	0	0	Portugal	Windhoek	21/04/1990
	Cliven Loubser	Fly-half	26	2	8	0	0	Morocco	Casablanca	30/06/2018
6.	Riaan van Wyk	Wing	25	5	0	0	0	Madagascar	Windhoek	15/06/2002
	Theuns Kotzé	Fly-half	25	1	4	4	0	Russia	Windhoek	18/07/2015
8.	Gerhard Mans	Wing	24	6	0	0	0	Portugal	Windhoek	21/04/1990
	Mot Schreuder	Fly-half	24	0	12	0	0	Kenya	Windhoek	27/05/2006
	Theuns Kotzé	Fly-half	24	0	12	0	0	Madagascar	Windhoek	06/07/2014

Last updated: Namibia vs Uruguay, 27 September 2023. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most tries in a match

#	Player	Pos	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop	Opposition	Venue	Date
1.	Gerhard Mans	Wing	24	6	0	0	0	Portugal	Windhoek	21/04/1990
2.	Riaan van Wyk	Wing	25	5	0	0	0	Madagascar	Windhoek	15/06/2002
3.	Eden Meyer	Wing	20	4	0	0	0	Zimbabwe	Windhoek	16/05/1992
	Melrick Afrika	Wing	20	4	0	0	0	Kenya	Nairobi	16/08/2003
	Renaldo Bothma	Number 8	20	4	0	0	0	Madagascar	Nairobi	06/07/2014
	Rohan Kitshoff	Flanker	20	4	0	0	0	Senegal	Windhoek	08/07/2017
	JC Greyling	Centre	20	4	0	0	0	Tunisia	Windhoek	23/06/2018
	Lesley Klim	Wing	20	4	0	0	0	Tunisia	Windhoek	23/06/2018
9.	17 players on 3 tries

Last updated: Namibia vs Uruguay, 27 September 2023. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Most matches as captain

#	Player	Pos	Span	Mat	Won	Lost	Draw	%	Pts	Tries	Conv	Pens	Drop
1.	Gerhard Mans	Wing	1990–1994	26	20	5	1	78.84	114	26	0	0	0
2.	Johan Deysel	Centre	2018-2023	19	12	7	0	66.00	30	6	0	0	0
3.	Jacques Burger	Flanker	2007–2015	17	7	10	0	41.17	25	5	0	0	0
4.	PJ van Lill	Flanker	2012–2021	14	9	5	0	61.53	10	2	0	0	0
5.	Corné Powell	Centre	2002–2007	13	9	4	0	69.23	25	5	0	0	0

Last updated: Namibia vs Uruguay, 27 September 2023. Statistics include officially capped matches only.

Past coaches

Since the 1999 Rugby World Cup

Years	Coach
1999	Rudy Joubert
2000	Sarel Losper
2000–2001	Henry Pretorius
2002–2003	David Waterston
2004–2005	Danie Vermeulen
2005	Christo Alexander
2006–2007	Johan Venter
2007	Hakkies Husselman
2008–2009	John Williams
2009–2011	Johan Diergaardt
2012–2015	Danie Vermeulen
2015–2019	Phil Davies
2020	Johan Diergaardt
2021–Present	Allister Coetzee

See also

• Namibia Rugby Union
• Rugby union in Namibia

Notes

1. Chris Hewett (29 April 1999). "Rugby Union: England bucks the global growth trend". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18.
2. Tremlett, Sam (13 October 2019). "Namibia Rugby World Cup Fixtures, Squad, Group, Guide". Rugby World. Retrieved 22 August 2020.
3. Stats
4. "Men's World Rankings". World Rugby. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
5. Namibia rugby statistics
6. "Rugby Union – ESPN Scrum – Statsguru – Test matches – Player records". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
7. "Rugby Union – ESPN Scrum – Statsguru – Test matches – Player records". ESPN Scrum. Retrieved 23 September 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Namibian rugby union news from Planet Rugby
• Namibia World Cup 2007 Preview (in Portuguese)
• Namibia World Cup 2007 Preview & follow-up (in French)