Placido Hilukilwa
RUGBY, a relatively unfamiliar sports code for many in the northern regions, is currently making waves, and the Oshana Gymnasium — a private school in Ongwediva, Oshana Region — serves as the epicentre of the surge and the grooming of young rugby players.
With its excellent sports facilities, the 20-month-old school attracts rugby players from other schools in the area and has already produced a player, Ian Smith, for the national Under-12 team.
According to the school’s sports coordinator, Stephen Nyamuzingu, the northern regions, where rugby has practically been absent for many years, are a treasure chest of talents and “unearthed diamonds.”
He said: “If in less than two years we have already produced a national rugby player, just imagine how many more excellent players we can produce in years to come.”
According to him, the school’s sports development programme currently has three rugby teams, namely the Under-11, the Under-13, and the Under-15.
Nyamuzingu said that by hosting rugby matches and attracting players from local schools, they hope to rekindle the community’s interest in and support for rugby, which is a wonderful sports code that was neglected or simply ignored in the past.
Last month, the Oshana Gymnasium hosted a match between the Oshana Rugby Club and the Grootfontein Rugby Club, the first rugby match in the Oshana Region in more than a decade. The visitors won narrowly, 35 to 28.
The Ministry of Education and the Namibia Rugby Union play a crucial role in the promotion of rugby in schools, clubs, and communities to create awareness and love of the game.
PICTURED: Ian Smith, Oshana Gymnasium learner who now plays for the national Under-12 rugby team. Photos: Oshana Gymnasium
