Namibia secures third spot in Lusaka for Sevens team

In recent years, Namibia has only sporadically any high expectations when taking part in sevens rugby tournaments in Africa. So there may be reason for cautious optimism following last weekend’s visit to the Zambia International Sevens in Lusaka.
The team led by Aurelio Plato ended the tournament in third position.

In the semi-final, the Namibians were beaten 17-12 by the Gaborone Spartans, before they won 26-21 against Zambia Nkwazi in the extra time in the Plate Final.
Namibia registered three wins and one loss. Coaches Les Bougard and David Philander’s men broke the knot against Malawi (53-0), Botswana (17-12) and the Shermanators (31-5) but was defeated 24-10 by Zambia Nkwazi, the tournament’s championship team in 2018 and 2017, avenged the Namibians in the plate final.
The Gaborone Spartans finally secured the gold medals as they clinched the final against the Zimbabwe Cheetahs 26-14. It was the Spartans’ second victory against the neighbouring country, after their group-match result of 15-5.
Namibia is expected to be one of the countries to compete for the Africa Sevens Championships in Johannesburg in November. The big prize will be qualifying for the 2020 Olympics for the winning team.