Bok legend named board member of Namibian Rugby

Cape Town - Former Springbok and Western Province captain Divan Serfontein has committed himself to improving the development of rugby in Namibia.

The legendary scrumhalf currently works as a brand ambassador for Namibian Breweries, which sponsors rugby in the country.

According to Netwerk24, Serfontein has been named as a board member of Namibian Rugby Ltd, which manages rugby in Namibia.

“A company was founded to manage amateur and professional rugby. They look at player contracting, development and the extension of the Namibian rugby brand. We’ll attempt to strengthen Namibian rugby and to give it a financial boost,” Serfontein, who played 19 Tests for the Springboks between 1980 and 1984, said.

The Namibian national team is currently ranked 24th in the official World Rugby rankings.

Their immediate goal is to qualify as one of the two African representatives at next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan, which, on paper, shouldn't be a problem being the second-highest ranked African country at present.

However, should the Namibians achieve their World Cup qualification goal, they will be drawn in the "Pool of Death" alongside the defending champion All Blacks, the Springboks and Italy.

Namibia have played at the past five World Cups, but have lost all 19 of their matches in total.