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Sporting logic was respected on Friday during the first quarter-final of the Rugby Africa Cup which saw Namibia largely win (71-5) against a very inexperienced Burkina Faso team. The Burkinabè have nevertheless shown themselves to be valiant, fighting to the end with their limited means.
Little thumb of the Rugby Africa Cup, Burkina Faso put all their heart and all their energy against the formidable Namibians, Friday 1is July in Marseilles. During the first fifteen minutes of the match, the Stallions rushed into the stretchers and managed to compete against their seasoned opponents, to the delight of the hundred spectators present in the Delort stadium at kick-off.
Each scrum was however a nightmare for the Burkinabè, largely dominated in this exercise. But every time the Namibians got the ball back, they were up against a very aggressive defense and couldn’t put their game together. And they had to wait for the 17e minute, while Burkinabè Sayouba Ouedraogo had just received a yellow card, to finally score the first points of this match.
They were signed thanks to a try scored by Namibian captain Tosten Van Jarrsveld, who has been a hooker in Bayonne for several seasons. His experience, and that of several of his partners also involved in professional championships, weighed heavily during this meeting against Burkinabè amateurs.
Namibian full-back Lorenzo Louis took it upon himself to score a second try on a fine movement from the back lines, allowing his team to lead 12-0 against Burkinabè still outnumbered. And once back to 15, they continued to show great generosity on the pitch, displaying great physical freshness despite the approximately 30 degrees.
However, technical blunders and bad choices did not allow them to materialize their efforts. Much more effective, the Namibians played to their strengths, the scrum and the touchline, to bring danger into the opposing camp and increase their lead, with another try from the Namibian captain in the 35the minute. Two minutes later, Lorenzo Louis also netted a brace, after fly-half Cliven Loubser broke through, and Namibia led 24-0 at half-time.
Three essays by the captain of Namibia
Remaining on the lawn during half-time, the Namibians were quick to start the charge to try to increase their lead. The forwards resumed their pounding work, finished off again by hooker Van Jaarsveld who scored a third down in the 46e minutes.
This feat earned him little applause, the public reserving to salute the first points of Burkina scored a few minutes later. At the 49e minute, Jean-Yves Zebango overtook his opponents to plant a superb try and collect a nice ovation.
In turn, the Namibian three-quarters showed their offensive qualities and pierced an increasingly less hermetic defense, with the key to a try by winger Divan Rossouw inflating the score to 38 to 5. His partners Louis Van der Westhuizen, Johannes Greyling, Wian Conradie and Pieter Wilhem Steenkamp followed suit to seal Namibia’s final victory (71-5).
Burkina Faso’s opponent in the semi-finals will be Zimbabwe, winner of Côte d’Ivoire (38-11). And if Burkina Faso sees the adventure of qualifying for the World Cup come to an end, it can rely on the determination energy of the Stallions to prepare for the challenges, starting with the classification matches.
“We don’t want to leave here without a win, we are already thinking about the next match in four days,” explained Burkina Faso coach Thibaut Dorey Fogacci. Proud of his players, he hopes their performance will help the national team gain more support to continue their progress.