New rugby league on the cards?

By Michael Uugwanga

FORMER Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president and prominent lawyer Bradley Basson is allegedly planning to register a new rugby league with the Namibia Sports Commission (NSC), Confidente has learnt.

A former NRU executive member who prefers to remain anonymous said that together with other former executive members they are planning to push for a proposal to the NRU to allow the Namibia Rugby Premier League (NRPL) become an independent body.

It is still not clear on whether Basson who was the president of NRU from 2012 to 2019 will be registering the new league as a sports body or registering the existing NRPL.

According to the source, one of the reasons to register the new league as a sports body is that it will pave way for the independent league to start sourcing for funds.

The NRPL has for the past eight years been without a sponsor after MTC decided to cut ties with the association in 2012.

Any registration of a new rugby league as a sports body could result in Namibia facing consequences from World Rugby and Rugby Africa who are the two biggest financial donors towards the NRU.

A former chairman of Wanderers Rugby Club, Flip Louw said such a move will not be welcomed. “This will not work as it will be against World Rugby rules and regulations,” he said.

Contacted for comment Basson strongly denied the allegations.

“It is indeed a rumour. For now I am quite content to be out of sports administration,” he said.

Basson was also the mastermind behind the formation of the Namibia Rugby Limited in 2018; a company that was meant to look for funds for the NRU.

The company was supposed to be the conduit for the administration of any investment including funds from World Rugby.

The NRL was also meant to professionalise local rugby.

Last month NRU vice president Walter Don said that the NRL had ceased to exist.