Nickname | Welwitschias | ||
---|---|---|---|
Emblem | African fish eagle | ||
Union | Namibia Rugby Union | ||
Head coach | Chrysander Botha | ||
Captain | Johan Deysel | ||
Most caps | Eugene Jantjies (70) | ||
Top scorer | Theuns Kotzé (430) | ||
Top try scorer | Chrysander Botha (28) | ||
Home stadium | Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium | ||
| |||
World Rugby ranking | |||
Current | 21 (as of 16 January 2023) | ||
Highest | 18 (2017) | ||
Lowest | 29 (2006) | ||
First international | |||
South West Africa 0–9 British and Irish Lions (Windhoek, Namibia; 5 July 1955) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Namibia 118–0 Tunisia (Windhoek, Namibia; 23 June 2018) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Australia 142–0 Namibia (Adelaide, Australia; 25 October 2003) | |||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 7 (First in 1999) | ||
Best result | Pool stage (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, 2023) | ||
Website | nru.com.na |
The Namibia national rugby union team represents Namibia in men's international rugby union competitions nicknamed the Welwitschias, are a tier-two nation in the World Rugby tier system, and have participated in seven Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999. They are governed by the Namibia Rugby Union.
Namibia has been playing international rugby since the early 1900s. As well as having competed at the World Cup, Namibia annually competes in the Africa Cup. Until independence, players for Namibia were also eligible to represent South Africa, with Namibian-born Springboks including Jan Ellis.