27 November 2012
Windhoek — President of reigning Namibian rugby champions Western Suburbs, Corrie Mensah has joined the chorus of thousands of local rugby fans in pleading with the Namibian Rugby Union (NRU) to consider hosting the recently-concluded Windhoek Lager Tri-Nations Tournament on an annual basis.
Speaking to New Era Sports, Mensah applauded the NRU for a job well done, saying that by hosting a tournament of such magnitude, the NRU proved their devotion and determination to give Namibian rugby a much needed boost. In doing so, Namibia proved to the international rugby family that they are still amongst Africa’s top rugby playing nations.
“We all witnessed the huge crowd attendance during the weeklong tournament, which was a clear indication that local fans are in dire need of quality rugby and I can promise you if the NRU tries by all means to make this event an annual event, rugby stadiums would be filled to full capacity again while the game in general will once again have a new meaning for our country,” said Mensah.
Mensah is optimistic that such a competition will not only bring a new hype to local rugby, but will also have the potential to provide strong competition to local players, while Namibia will also substantially benefit from the good relations it will have with participating nations. These relations will help Namibia in terms of exchanging expertise and technical knowhow in the future.
In response, NRU Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sybrand De Beer, said plans are underway to make the event an annual competition, adding that it was just a matter of securing a sponsor for the tri-nations tourney.
De Beer recognized the potential this tournament holds in terms of developing local rugby, and believes it will also serve as a good platform for local young players to be observed by foreign coaches for future opportunities.
“It’s the first of its kind in Namibia and it was really well received by the local rugby followers – that’s why we decided to make this an annual tournament,” said a confident De Beer.
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