WINDHOEK, 14 JUN (NAMPA) – Namibia's senior national rugby team, the Welwitschias, on Wednesday beat Emerging Italy 38-22 in their second game of the 2017 World Rugby Nations Cup underway in Montevideo, Uruguay.
The Namibian outfit came from behind to beat their opponents in an encounter that was streamed live over the Internet.
They trailed 7-22 at half-time and in the second half; the Welwitschias ran in five tries of which they managed to convert three.
The Namibians scored six tries in the whole game for the 38 points, which won them a bonus try for scoring more than four tries.
Renaldo Bothma, Theuns Kotzé, Gino Wilson, JC Greyling and Lesley Klim (two) scored Namibia's tries on the day.
Kotzé converted four times from the spot but missed twice. He also missed a penalty.
Speaking to the media after the game, Welwitschias captain Bothma said they took a very youthful team to the competition and found the game tough in the opening minutes, but he is happy they came to the plate in the second half and scored the much-needed points.
The Welwitschias are now top of Pool A with six points. Namibia's next match in the competition will be against Russia on Sunday, at 15h00 Namibian time.
The Nations Cup is a rugby union competition that was first held in 2006. The tournament is part of the International Rugby Board's strategy aimed at providing more competition for tier-one A sides, as well as offering opportunities for second and third tier nations such as Portugal, Russia, Namibia, Uruguay, Georgia and Romania.
The 2017 World Rugby Nations Cup is the 12th edition of the Cup.
In their opening match, the Namibian side scored two penalties, a try and a conversion for 13 points, while Spain scored two tries, a penalty and only managed to convert once.