There is hope - Mensah

There is hope - Mensah Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) president Corrie Mensah says there is still hope for Namibian rugby, despite the current storms.

Concerns have been raised about the future of the game in the country after the national team failed to participate in the SuperSport Rugby Challenge and Currie Cup last year.

Doubts remain about whether the team will participate this year.

The NRU president is, however, confident that Namibian rugby's pride will be restored.

“All I can say at the moment is that there is progress and we do have hope that things will get better for the union.

“I can also confirm that not everything has been resolved but we are heading in the right direction,” Mensah said.

Rugby has always been one of the few sport codes in the country to excel over the years.

The problems, however, started when the NRU and business wing Namibia Rugby Limited (NRL) began to fight over who should be in control of the country's rugby affairs.

The NRU argued the NRL was trying to exert control, given the financial influence it has.

The NRL is said to have influenced the appointment of coaches and management committees for the national team.

The disagreements were fuelled by the fact that the two parties signed a contract that favoured the NRL, and which gave it more control over local rugby.

Mensah said Namibians should be more excited about the upcoming 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, where the country will participate.

“I think there has been too much negative news about Namibian rugby, but it is time we focus on the positives.

“We have the Rugby World Cup coming up and that will be a good thing for our rugby,” he added.

Jesse Jackson Kauraisa