France Rugby World Cup: Namibia’s head coach, Allister Coetzee, is on the brink of overseeing a historic moment for his team at the France Rugby World Cup. Their Group A campaign is set to kick off against Italy in Saint-Etienne on September 9th. The Welwitschias find themselves in a challenging pool alongside the tournament hosts, France, three-time champions New Zealand, and Uruguay. This presents a formidable test for a team that has consistently participated in the last six editions of the finals, yet victory in their upcoming match of RWC 2023 would be a monumental achievement.
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Coetzee emphasized the significance of winning their first-ever pool game at a France Rugby World Cup, describing it as a massive goal for the team. Their closest brush with success came during the 2015 tournament in England when they narrowly missed defeating Georgia, suffering a 17-16 defeat in a tightly contested match in Exeter. Additionally, Namibia secured a draw at the previous RWC in Japan when their game against Canada was canceled due to Typhoon Hagibis. Coetzee’s aspirations for the team extend beyond a single win.
He believes they have the talent necessary to achieve greater success on the field, provided the players embrace their role as representatives of their nation at the France Rugby World Cup. Coetzee, a former Springboks coach who has been leading Namibia since June 2021, expressed his satisfaction with the progress observed in his RWC squad. He noted significant improvements since their last training camp in Windhoek, which took place in December. He acknowledged the diversity of the players, hailing from different clubs with varying levels of conditioning and experience in various competitions.
Trust the plan and vision’ for RWC
Coetzee, who also served as the head coach of the Italian side Rovigo until November 2022, faces the added challenge of limited preparation time with his team. He emphasized the crucial role of spending time together with an international team, which has been challenging due to his players being scattered across the globe. He explained, “The significant challenge with any international team is getting the players together, and we face hurdles because our players are spread worldwide. Bringing them together before a match becomes quite a task for RWC.
Building relationships with the clubs is essential, and the players need to trust the plan and vision, or it won’t work. Moreover, we only get our players five days before a Test match, leaving us with minimal time for France Rugby World Cup preparation. Coetzee, a former scrum-half, acknowledges the formidable task that lies ahead for his team in their pool. Namibia, ranked 21st in the world, is pitted against two strong contenders in France and New Zealand. Uruguay, four places above them in the world rankings, and Italy ranking four places higher than Uruguay, further intensifies the RWC competition.
Italy has been gaining confidence with recent victories over established rugby nations like Australia and Wales. Despite the France Rugby World Cup challenges, Coetzee draws inspiration from Namibia’s encounter with New Zealand in 2019. In that match, they held the All Blacks to a 24-9 scoreline at halftime before ultimately conceding 47 points without reply in the second half. He emphasized the tough road ahead, with Namibia’s schedule including matches against Italy, and New Zealand, the tournament hosts France, and Uruguay.
RWC 2023 Ian Foster’s All Blacks at Peace with Potential France Haka response
New Zealand’s head coach, Ian Foster, expressed on Thursday that his team is at peace with whatever response France chooses to give to the Haka during the opening game of the France Rugby World Cup. Historically, the tournament hosts, Les Bleus, have reacted to the Haka in various ways, such as facing their opponents directly or wearing T-shirts in the colors of the French flag back in 2007.
Foster shared with reporters ahead of Friday’s match in Paris, that that’s their choice, historically they have sometimes and no other times in RWC. We’re at peace with that. We’re happy for the opposition to respond however they want to respond to the Haka. One thing I do know is that they will respect it because they have a history of respecting the Haka. Despite New Zealand’s recent record defeat to South Africa, a 35-7 loss at Twickenham, Foster played down the significance of that match.
He remarked, “I don’t think there’s a point to prove in relation to that game. The only thing that matters is what we learn from it, and now we’re into a RWC tournament. We’re going to be on a very big stage France Rugby World Cup tomorrow. Then we’ll assess how we progress in the tournament after that.
Approaching the tournament with a blend of confidence and enjoyment, his primary objective is to contribute effectively to the team’s success. Rugby World Cup fans can buy Rugby World Cup Final Tickets from our website.
This easygoing approach reflects the All Blacks’ confidence as they prepare for the Rugby World Cup, despite a recent record defeat to South Africa. They are focused on their upcoming matches and the challenges of the RWC tournament. New Zealand is set to compete in Pool A against Namibia, Uruguay, Italy, and the host nation, France.
Strong expectations of Winning the next Matches of the France Rugby World Cup
Foster appeared relaxed and even shared some light-hearted moments during the press conference, playfully donning a pair of sunglasses and drawing a humorous comparison to France’s head coach, Fabien Gauthier, known for his thick-framed spectacles. The 58-year-old coach emphasized that the pressure is squarely on the hosts, given their impressive home record, with their last loss on home soil dating back to March 2021. Foster commented, “It’s my third RWC, but I’ve never seen a build-up like this one.
It’s a home nation with strong expectations of winning, and the public shares those high expectations. It’s all very well-scripted. Reflecting on France’s previous experience as Rugby World Cup hosts in 2007, where they surprisingly lost their opening match to Argentina and faced subsequent defeats, including one against England in the semi-finals, Foster noted the significance of history. For more about New Zealand rugby World Cup Tickets. He mentioned that the team manager, Raphael Ibanez, who was the captain during those games, had briefly reviewed those events with the squad of RWC.
However, the consensus was that there aren’t many direct lessons to draw from the past. Ibanez, the former captain and now team manager, expressed the team’s focus on the present and future, stating, History is for us to write, for this generation, this team. What counts is that we commit fully to this Rugby World Cup competition. It’s not a secret that we can’t wait to get going with this game.
Namibia under X-rays. Who are the players who will face Italy at the RWC?
Italy is set to make its debut in the RWC 2023 in France, with their opening match scheduled for Saturday at lunchtime. Their opponent for the day is Namibia, a team that is no stranger to the international rugby stage but has never advanced beyond the RWC tournament’s first phase. Located near South Africa, similar to the Springboks, Namibia has a diverse squad comprising both black and Afrikaans players. However, unlike the South Africans, they don’t boast a top-tier rugby pedigree.
Namibia’s coach, Allister Coetzee, is another figure with strong ties to South Africa. Coetzee hails from Makhanda, South Africa, and from 2016 to 2018, he led the Springboks. Notably, he played a pivotal role in Italy’s rugby history during his coaching stint at Rovigo. In 2016, under his guidance, Italy achieved a historic victory over the Blues in Florence. Now, he is tasked with guiding Namibia in their quest for their first-ever Rugby World Cup victory, a team that has yet to secure a win in 22 games played across six editions of the tournament.
In Namibia’s squad, there are few standout players, but one of them is the captain, Johan Deysel, aged 32, who is participating in his third World Championship, the second as captain. His experience and leadership are essential assets that Coetzee relies on to challenge the pre-tournament predictions. However, last year, he made the decision to return to his homeland and represent Namibia at France Rugby World Cup. The question remains Will their contributions be enough to secure Namibia’s first-ever Rugby World Cup victory, especially against Italy.
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