With their victory in the Rugby Africa Cup, Namibia has earned a spot in the Rugby World Cup in 2023
Rugby World Cup 2023 : By defeating Kenya 36-0 in Sunday’s final of the Rugby Africa Cup 2022 in Aix-en-Provence, Namibia qualified for their eighth straight Rugby World Cup.
The Welwitschias have been performing well in the south of France, having beaten Burkina Faso 71-5 in the quarterfinals and Zimbabwe 34-19 in the semis.
They kept their winning streak alive in the championship game, beating Kenya 36-0 at Stade Maurice-David.
Rugby Africa Cup
Despite the vocal encouragement of the Kenyan faithful in the stadium, Namibia dominated the first half and took a commanding 15-0 lead at halftime.
Shortly after the hour mark, Namibia increased their advantage with consecutive penalties, despite a genuine opportunity to score a first try (Collins Injera’s foot was pulled into touch inches from the line).
Wian Conradie and captain Johan Deysel scored tries for Namibia in the last two minutes of the game, right beneath the posts, as the Africans surged ahead against a tenacious Kenyan team.
With this win, Namibia will be the number one African team in Pool A at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
Against Italy at Saint-Étienne on September 9th, Namibia will begin their Rugby World Cup 2023 campaign. Six days later, on September 15th, they will take on New Zealand, three-time Webb Ellis Cup champions.
On September 21, Namibia will play at Marseille, where France will be hosting a match. On September 27th, in Lyon, they will wrap up Pool A with a match versus Uruguay.
Despite finishing in second place in the Rugby Africa Cup 2022, Kenya will still have the opportunity to compete in the RWC 2023 Final Qualification Tournament this coming November.
