Intriguing selection to take on Uganda

Rugby
The first shots of Namibia's international rugby season will be fired this weekend.
Andrew Poolman
  • 3 Days Ago 11 June 2025
After the action-packed finals weekend that concluded with FNB Kudus winning the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU)’s premier league for the first time, the attention officially moves to the country’s all-important international season.

Loose-forward Prince !Gaoseb will lead an intriguing selection this Saturday against visiting Uganda at the Walvis Bay Private School’s Naartjie Park field.

Leading up to the Rugby Africa Cup 2025 / Rugby World Cup 2027 Australia qualifier to be played in July in Uganda’s capital Kampala, much attention will be on the upcoming three weekends – starting with the Uganda match which according to NRU CEO John Heynes will not be regarded as an official test international.

Uganda (ranked at world nr 41 compared to Namibia’s 25th place) presents a rather gentle introduction to the challenges that will become much stiffer right after the coming weekend. The Pumas (21 July) and the full test against Italy seven days later both loom large with any Namibian team that will be distinct underdogs.

!Gaoseb captains a match squad assembled from the outstanding players in the NRU premier league, as well as the first arrivals of call-ups from professionally contracted talent abroad.

At fly-half, former Pro-Ed Academy player Godwin Silvanus finally gets his big opportunity after yearning to break into national team contention. In February 2024 Silvanus, now 25, signed a three-year contract extension with Dinamo Rugby in Romania, but has since moved on to join local rivals CSA Steaua Bucuresti, where he was recently united with compatriots Max Katjijeko and Prince !Gaoseb.

The selected Welwitschias players: 15 Aston Mukwiilongo (Kudus), 14 Jurgen Meyer (Wanderers), 13 Alcino Izaacs (Unam), 12 Danco Burger (Wanderers), 11 Quirione Majiedt (Unam), 10 Godwin Silvanus (CSA Steaua Bucuresti, Romania), 9 Jacques Theron (Wanderers), 8 Adriaan Booysen (Wanderers), 7 Max Katjijeko (CSA Steaua Bucuresti, Romania), 6 Prince !Gaoseb (captain, CSA Steaua Bucuresti, Romania), 5 Johan Luttig (Grootfontein), 4 Oliver Kurz (Rissho University, Japan), 3 Haitembu Shikufa (Leopards), 2 Armand Combrinck (Maties), 1 Otja Auala (Unam / Rhino Academy, Cape Town).

Bench: Gerhard Thirion (Budowlani Lublin, Poland), Jason Benade (Unam), Sidney Halupe (Wits University), Riaan Grové (Stade Aurillac, France), Peter Diergaardt (Rugby Torino, Italy), AJ Kearns (Unam), Danie van der Merwe (Wanderers), Manfred Garoeb (Rehoboth), Owen Hawanga (Wanderers).

André van der Berg, returning from a first season with French club US Limoges, is listed as a travelling reserve, but will not be in the match squad while recovering from a recent concussion.

• The NTV production team will be at Naartjie Park to bring viewers the live broadcast of the Welwitschias vs Uganda match.