Bonds forged ahead of fierce contest

Rugby
Brian Munango
In a heartening display of sportsmanship, the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) hosted a joint dinner at the Mercure Hotel in Windhoek, bringing together the Namibian and Portuguese rugby teams ahead of their eagerly awaited test match.

Saturday's match at Hage Geingob Stadium promises to be a tense and thrilling encounter.

The dinner served as a platform for both teams to bond and share a moment of camaraderie before their on-field confrontation. The event highlighted the spirit of rugby, where intense rivalries are tempered by mutual respect and friendship.

During the dinner, the NRU president Petrie Theron expressed enthusiasm for the upcoming game and reflected on the historical context of the fixture.

“We are fortunate to have you here after so many years and are hopeful of keeping our winning streak here on home soil,” he said.

Despite Namibia’s strong historical record, having won six of their eight encounters against Portugal, he acknowledged the challenge posed by the higher-ranked Portuguese side. “We will go into this game as underdogs, but we are okay with that title.”

Theron also touched on the broader spirit of rugby: “We socialize beforehand, fight like crazy on the rugby field, and socialize after the match again. That is the beauty of rugby.”

Carlos Amado Da Silva, president of the Portuguese Rugby Federation, conveyed his team’s determination.

“Portugal has played several times against Namibia and lost. Hopefully on Saturday, we will get one over them.”

Adding a touch of humor and competitive spirit, Hermann Rust, a NRU board member, quipped: “Thank you for letting us win six out of the eight games. We will try to extend it to seven on Saturday, and you guys can try to get to three.”

As both teams prepare for their clash, the dinner at the Mercure Hotel served as a reminder of rugby’s core values—respect, camaraderie, and sportsmanship. Fans can expect an exciting and fierce contest.

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Currie Cup: Airlink Pumas 14 vs 41 Toyota Cheetahs XV | Fidelity ADT Lions 62 vs 5 NovaVit Griffons | Suzuki Griquas 37 vs 29 DHL Western Province Rugby Championship: Argentina 67 vs 27 Australia | Springboks 18 vs 12 New Zealand Katima Mulilo: 17° | 36° Rundu: 16° | 38° Eenhana: 15° | 38° Oshakati: 16° | 34° Ruacana: 16° | 34° Tsumeb: 19° | 33° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 32° Omaruru: 14° | 32° Windhoek: 14° | 28° Gobabis: 12° | 31° Henties Bay: 11° | 15° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 07:19, High tide: 13:46, Low Tide: 19:48, High tide: 02:00 Swakopmund: 12° | 13° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:44, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Walvis Bay: 10° | 19° Wind speed: 26km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:43, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Rehoboth: 14° | 30° Mariental: 13° | 30° Keetmanshoop: 11° | 25° Aranos: 13° | 32° Lüderitz: 10° | 25° Ariamsvlei: 10° | 23° Oranjemund: 10° | 16° Luanda: 21° | 22° Gaborone: 15° | 33° Lubumbashi: 17° | 36° Mbabane: 14° | 32° Maseru: 8° | 25° Antananarivo: 11° | 27° Lilongwe: 18° | 30° Maputo: 21° | 36° Windhoek: 14° | 28° Cape Town: 11° | 14° Durban: 15° | 22° Johannesburg: 15° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 19° | 32° Harare: 16° | 29° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.39 | EUR to NAD 19.77 | CNY to NAD 2.52 | USD to NAD 17.85 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.36 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.67 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.18 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 131.86 | USD to AOA 920.38 | USD to BWP 13.26 | USD to EGP 48.39 | USD to KES 128.23 | USD to NGN 1620.02 | USD to ZAR 17.85 | USD to ZMW 26.3 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1770.56 Down -1.47% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13911.35 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31029.7 Up +0.10% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 497.56/OZ DOWN -0.0079 | Copper US$ 4.04/lb DOWN -0.0194 | Zinc US$ 2 721.80/T DOWN -0.3% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 72.03/BBP DOWN -0.0187 | Platinum US$ 919.13/OZ DOWN -0.007 Sport results: Currie Cup: Airlink Pumas 14 vs 41 Toyota Cheetahs XV | Fidelity ADT Lions 62 vs 5 NovaVit Griffons | Suzuki Griquas 37 vs 29 DHL Western Province Rugby Championship: Argentina 67 vs 27 Australia | Springboks 18 vs 12 New Zealand Weather: Katima Mulilo: 17° | 36° Rundu: 16° | 38° Eenhana: 15° | 38° Oshakati: 16° | 34° Ruacana: 16° | 34° Tsumeb: 19° | 33° Otjiwarongo: 16° | 32° Omaruru: 14° | 32° Windhoek: 14° | 28° Gobabis: 12° | 31° Henties Bay: 11° | 15° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: S, Low tide: 07:19, High tide: 13:46, Low Tide: 19:48, High tide: 02:00 Swakopmund: 12° | 13° Wind speed: 22km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:44, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Walvis Bay: 10° | 19° Wind speed: 26km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 07:17, High tide: 13:43, Low Tide: 19:46, High tide: 02:00 Rehoboth: 14° | 30° Mariental: 13° | 30° Keetmanshoop: 11° | 25° Aranos: 13° | 32° Lüderitz: 10° | 25° Ariamsvlei: 10° | 23° Oranjemund: 10° | 16° Luanda: 21° | 22° Gaborone: 15° | 33° Lubumbashi: 17° | 36° Mbabane: 14° | 32° Maseru: 8° | 25° Antananarivo: 11° | 27° Lilongwe: 18° | 30° Maputo: 21° | 36° Windhoek: 14° | 28° Cape Town: 11° | 14° Durban: 15° | 22° Johannesburg: 15° | 26° Dar es Salaam: 23° | 31° Lusaka: 19° | 32° Harare: 16° | 29° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.39 | EUR to NAD 19.77 | CNY to NAD 2.52 | USD to NAD 17.85 | DZD to NAD 0.13 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.3 | EGP to NAD 0.36 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.67 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.18 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.21 | USD to DZD 131.86 | USD to AOA 920.38 | USD to BWP 13.26 | USD to EGP 48.39 | USD to KES 128.23 | USD to NGN 1620.02 | USD to ZAR 17.85 | USD to ZMW 26.3 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index Same 0 | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1770.56 Down -1.47% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13911.35 Up +0.04% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 31029.7 Up +0.10% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 497.56/OZ DOWN -0.0079 | Copper US$ 4.04/lb DOWN -0.0194 | Zinc US$ 2 721.80/T DOWN -0.3% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 72.03/BBP DOWN -0.0187 | Platinum US$ 919.13/OZ DOWN -0.007