SAFLAND Rugby Sevens in Swakopmund
The third edition of the country’s Premier Rugby Sevens Tournament (the Safland Sevens) will be on played Friday and Saturday (10 and 11 November) in Swakopmund at the Swakopmund Football Club Stadium (SFC). The tournament, will once again see African sevens outfits in action, with national teams from Namibia, South Africa Select, Czech Republic, Lesotho, Tisan, Bulls, Namibia Academy and Botswana all making their presence felt.
According to tournament organiser, Willem Strauss, the tournament provides a great platform for Namibia to compete at a global level. The event will also serve as preparation for the HSBC World Series starting in Dubai three weeks later.
The Safland Sevens will also include a club and provincial competition for teams from Namibia and South Africa. According to Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia Rugby Union, Elizma Theron, there will be added benefits this year to the two-day rugby showpiece, and a sevens school tournament for four age groups will also run parallel to the tournament. The U-19, U-17, U-15 and U-13’s will all form part of the festivities.
Theron, further said that the tournament is a boost for sevens rugby in Namibia. “Our sevens rugby has been neglected. So it’s fantastic for the Namibian team to participate. It’s a huge platform to promote the country as a sports and tourist destination. I think Swakopmund’s conditions are ideally similar to those of Dubai and also Swakopmund has a unique offering when it comes to tourism. The international players can see more of the country,” said Theron. South Africa’s Blitzbokke are the two-time defending champions of the tournament.
Namibia sevens coach, Jurie Booysen said that the tournament will also offer a chance to test the Namibian sevens team against some of the best players in the world and this is an ideal opportunity for the players to sharpen their skills. Booysen also mentioned that as the host we are ready.
Kallie van der Merwe of Safland said, “This is a big year for us as a company: not only is Safland turning 25 years, we are also working towards the listing of the frontier Property find on the Namibia Stock Exchange. We view our involvement in the Safland 7’s as a way of giving something back to the country”.
Tickets available @ WebTickets Namibia, SFC Sport Club or P’nP outlets
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