Solid turnout at national trials

Andrew Poolman – Acting national coach Robbie Dickson expressed satisfaction and excitement at the quality seen among the approximately 75 players who turned up for the senior national rugby, trials in Windhoek on Saturday, morning.




Dickson included three former internationals – fullback Chrysander Botha (55 Tests; currently acting assistant coach), centre Darryl de la Harpe (50 Tests) and Jood Opperman (prop, current national U20 coach) – as the selection panel to pick a national training squad which is now awaiting approval from the Namibia Rugby Union board.
National trials were held for the first time since 2014, when Danie Vermeulen was still the national coach, with the aim of identifying the best local players to play two warm-up matches against Zimbabwe on 12 and 19 June.
Namibia will also host the Ivory Coast and Madagascar for a Rugby Africa tournament in Windhoek from 1 to 11 July.
Injuries, illness and work commitments were contributing factors to some top contenders not attending the trials, while another unspoken factor could be the players’ reluctance to risk injury and becoming unavailable for their clubs’ NRU league campaigns.
Notable absentees included four of FNB Unam’s contingents at the 2019 World Cup, Prince !Gaoseb, Max Katjijeko, Desiderius Sethie and Chad Plato.
The university team, current log leaders in the premier league, were, nevertheless, well represented at the trials.
The two teams that played the final trial match of 20 minutes a side were:
BLACK AND WHITE
1 Simon Kanime (FNB Unam), 2 Chemigan Beukes (FNB Western Suburbs), 3 Ethan Theart (Sparta), 4 Diamando Tjombe (Suburbs), 5 Joshua Jacobs (FNB Kudus), 6 Gerhard Opperman (Trustco United), 7 Tjingairi Katjivi (Suburbs), 8 Pieter Kok (FNB Grootfontein), 9 DJ Holtzhausen (University of Stellenbosch), 10 Denzo Bruwer (United), 11 Oderich Mouton (Unam), 12 Ethan Beukes (FNB Wanderers), 13 Louis Grobbelaar (Grootfontein), 14 Dumarcho Hartung (Suburbs), 15 Lorenzo Louis (Unam).
Reserves: AJ Kearns (Suburbs), Aurelio Plato (Kudus), Lloyd Jacobs (Kudus), Johnny Mwenyo (Unam), Morgan Esterhuizen (Suburbs), Renier Benade (Wanderers).
BLUE TEAM
1 Jan Burger (United), 2 Gerhard Thirion (United), 3 Ignus Tripodi (Wanderers), 4 Le Beau du Preez (Pukke), 5 Johan Luttig (Grootfontein), 6 Ryan Garoeb (United), 7 Brian Roodt (Wanderers), 8 Amutenya Amutenya (Grootfontein), 9 Bronwyn Willemse (Suburbs), 10 Hanreco van Zyl (United), 11 Darryl Wellman (Unam), 12 PJ Walters (Suburbs), 13 Alcino Isaacks (Unam), 14 Jayson Morkel (Wanderers), 15 Ricardo Swartz (Suburbs)
Reserves: Jacques Theron (Wanderers), Riaan van Zyl (United), Delron Brandt (Unam), Nazume Swartz (United), AZ Zaahl (Unam), Dylan Isaacs (Suburbs).
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