Tsumeb Gym face U19 premier league powerhouse
Schools rugby
The team from the north will be looking to make an impression at the Lions Den.
Namibian Secondary Schools Rugby (NSSR)’s Standard Bank under-19 Premier League continues with only one scheduled match on the second weekend.The highly anticipated clash between King Price Curro Windhoek Gymnasium and Compack Tsumeb Gymnasium at the Lions Den (kick-off at 12:00) will be broadcast live by the NTV production team on https://oneuptwo.com/.
The joint defending champions, the Lions, are aiming to secure their second consecutive victory following their impressive 34-7 win over PSG Walvis Bay Private School (WBPS) in the season opener, with a points difference which already put them in first position on the log.
After the win at home, Gymnasium coach Mauritz Thirion said: "Walvis Bay PS were very motivated and performed very well in the scrums and lineouts. We didn't train too hard due to recovery from our recent tour to Japan, but it's nice to back in our league and it was an enjoyable match full of running rugby."
Meanwhile, Tsumeb Gymnasium will be looking to rebound from a narrow 24-23 loss to Autohaus Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool (WAP) in what was a thrilling encounter at Affies Park.
Despite the Lions' high spirits and impressive form ahead of this weekend's match, Tsumeb Gymnasium is expected to put up a strong fight.
In their previous two encounters, both teams have secured one win each. The most recent match ended in a decisive 43-5 victory for the Lions.
Currently, King Price Lions leads the league with the maximum of nine league points from their opening match, and a points difference of 27.
In contrast, Tsumeb Gymnasium is in fifth place after their opening defeat, with a score difference of -1.
Players to watch
King Price Lions: Wing Pieter-Stephann Stassen, centre Janco Bredenhann, who impressively scored twice in the opening game, and flyhalf Waldré Kotze, who successfully converted two tries and added a crucial penalty.
Ruan Agenbag of Windhoek Gymnasium has been selected as captain of the Namibia Schools team at the SA Rugby Under-18 Academy Week to be hosted in Johannesburg in the last week of June. His school mates Waldre Kotze, wing Carlo Hawanga, props Daniel du Toit and Rudolph Harmse and centre Janco Bredenhann also made the national selection.
Tsumeb Gymnasium: Speedy fullback Jean-Paul Strauss showcased his skills last weekend by scoring one try himself and creating at least one more, while centre Jamie Viljoen is known for his strong defensive and offensive capabilities.
Loosehead prop Jurick van der Berg will have a contest against Du Toit as his direct opponent on Saturday. Van der Berg and lock Russel Bartlett are Tsumeb’s selections for the U18 Academy Week team.
Considering the head-to-head record, recent performances and depth available to the two schools, the Lions are favoured to win a match which should be quite competitive.
• Results, fixtures and log standings at https://www.rugby.my.na/