The gap has closed

South Africa eased to a nine-try 57-3 win over neighbours Namibia, but it was a far from polished performance in their Rugby World Cup Pool B clash at the City of Toyota Stadium on Saturday.

Billed the ‘African Derby’, there was only one winner despite what Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus termed his ‘fringe’ selection, and minnows Namibia sim-ply could not cope with the physicality of the South Africans but the gap has closed, and Namibia is no rollover now.
Namibia coach Phil Davies hailed the courage of his Namibia side as he steadies for an even bigger challenge against New Zealand on October 6.
Davies admitted his players were battered and bruised by the Springbok encounter, but ads there were positives to take out of the game after they had conceded 192 points in their previous two matches against their heavy-weight neighbours.
“The score line suggests we are improving and we played with a lot of courage. I was disappointed when we turned the ball over that we kicked the ball away quite quickly. I would have liked to see us play a bit more” Davies said.
Davies is realistic about where Namibian rugby stands, but believes they can move forward at some pace if they put the right building blocks in place.

Next up is New Zealand in Tokyo and then a meeting with Canada, which will give Namibia the opportunity for a first ever World Cup win, which would be a true sign of their progress. Photo caption Reuters Press.