Welwitschias coach coming soon
By Michael Uugwanga
THE Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president Corrie Mensah has told Confidente Sport that the new full-time senior men rugby coach will be appointed soon, but could not say the exact date when asked.
Mensah said this during the past weekend’s national men trials that were held at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium in Olympia, Windhoek, of which acting Welwitschias coach Robbie Dickson conducted the trials ahead of two friendly matches against Zimbabwe in Windhoek.
“We are currently busy with the finalisation of the new coach in conjunction with World Rugby. Maybe the finalisation process will be next week or two, and we will duly notify you regarding the appointment of the new coach. The new coach will then take over from Dickson and take the team forward, hopefully in time for the friendlies against Zimbabwe,” said Mensah.
The Welwitschias have been without a full-time coach since the 2019 Rugby World Cup after the contract of Wales-born mentor Phil Davies came to an end the same year.
Johan Diergaardt was appointed acting coach late last year before he resigned from the position early this year due to personal reasons, which prompted the NRU to appoint another local coach in Dickson for a short period.
Confidente has it on good authority that the new coach will be once again a foreigner, who will be responsible to reclaim the Rugby Africa Gold Cup that Namibia has enjoyed winning often and also to guide the team to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
The new full-time coach is expected to be in charge of the team for the two friendly matches against Zimbabwe.
The new coach’s biggest test will be in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup that is set to start on June 5, while Namibia’s title defence of the cup will be on July 3 against Ivory Coast in Windhoek, before another encounter at home against Madagascar on July 11.
Confidente Sport is reliably informed that Davies earned a reported N$300 000 salary per month and that after the 2019 Rugby World Cup he pocketed more than N$700 000, while the players reportedly received around N$170 000 each depending on their appearances.
A local coach for the senior team gets a reported N 000 per month.
World Rugby is usually responsible for the biggest chunk of the coach’s monthly salary.