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What to watch in men’s rugby: Namibia out to defend African title
By Martyn Thomas
Namibia will continue their Rugby Africa Cup title defence this week and you can find out whether the Welwitschias can win the tournament for a seventh successive time live and for free with RugbyPass TV.
The Welwitschias booked their place in the semi-finals with a six-try 38-5 defeat of Burkina Faso in Kampala last Saturday.
Despite the scoreline, Namibia were made to work hard for their win and didn’t breach the opposition line until the 33rd minute when Quirione Majiedt notched the first of his two tries.
Even then it took until well into the second half for Namibia to pull away from Burkina Faso and their reward for victory is a semi-final against Zimbabwe.
The Sables held off a second-half fightback from Uganda last weekend, holding on to beat the hosts 22-20 in Kampala and secure their passage to the last four.
Wednesday’s semi-final is a repeat of the teams’ meeting at the same stage in Aix-en-Provence in 2022, the last time the Rugby Africa Cup was staged.
Namibia won that match 34-19 en route to the title and qualification to Rugby World Cup 2023, and the Welwitschias have history on their side. They haven’t lost to Zimbabwe in their previous 13 meetings, dating back to 2001.
Whoever comes out on top in the latest chapter of their shared rivalry will play either Kenya or Algeria in Sunday’s final in Kampala.
In a mirror of the other 2022 semi-final, Algeria will hope to avenge their narrow 36-33 defeat to the Simbas in Marseille two years ago.
Algeria full-back Julien Caminati kicked 17 points last Saturday as Algeria booked their place in the last four with a 32-12 victory against Ivory Coast.
They will face Kenya again on Wednesday, after the Simbas ran in five tries to beat Senegal 36-17.
Day two’s action will get underway on Wednesday morning when Senegal take on Ivory Coast before Burkina Faso face Uganda in the placing semi-finals.
The 2024 Rugby Africa Cup champions will be crowned on Sunday, and you can stream all of the action from Kampala on RugbyPass TV, except in Uganda.
Wednesday, July 24th
09:00 BST (GMT+1) – Rugby Africa Cup 2024 day two – WATCH LIVE HERE
Sunday, July 28th
09:00 BST – Rugby Africa Cup 2024 finals day – WATCH LIVE HERE
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Latest Comments
Hopefully Joe stays where he is. That would mean Les, McKellar, larkham and Cron should as well. It’s the stability we need in the state programs. But, if Joe goes, RA with its current financial situation will be forced into promoting from within. And this will likely destabilise other areas.
To better understand some of the entrenched bitterness of those outside of NZ and NSW (as an example 😂), Nic, there is probably a comparison to the old hard heads of welsh rugby who are still stuck in the 1970s. Before the days where clubs merged, professionalism started, and the many sharp knives were put into the backs of those who loved the game more than everyone else. I’m sure you know a few... But given your comparison of rugby in both wales and Australia, there are a few north of the tweed that will never trust a kiwi or NSWelshman because of historical events and issues over the history of the game. It is what it is. For some, time does not heal all wounds. And it is still festering away in some people. Happy holidays to you. All the best in 2025.
Go to commentsNot surprised to see Barretts rating. He has always been a solid defender for the ABs but not particularly effective in attack situations.
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