Namibia’s young and relatively inexperienced team faced a daunting challenge as they took on France in front of nearly 64,000 fervent French fans. The match unfolded as a relentless onslaught for the Namibian side, who struggled to contain their opponents and ultimately endured a devastating 96-0 defeat. For France, it marked their largest-ever victory in a World Cup match, celebrated by an ecstatic crowd in Marseille.
Namibia’s head coach, Allister Coetzee, candidly described the match as “a tough night at the office” and acknowledged the humbling nature of the defeat. He noted that during the initial 20 minutes of the game, his players appeared overwhelmed by the occasion, leading to uncharacteristic mistakes and a deviation from the game plan under the weight of pressure.
Coetzee elaborated on their difficulties, stating, “Every poor kick got punished, we couldn’t put pressure on, and when we had the ball, we coughed it up. Our basics weren’t good enough tonight, and the players are really hurting from the result.”
By halftime, Namibia found themselves trailing 54-0, and their woes continued when, just five minutes into the second half, their captain, Johan Deysel, received a red card for a high tackle on Antoine Dupont, the French scrumhalf. This unfortunate incident left Dupont with a suspected fractured cheekbone, potentially sidelining him for the remainder of the tournament. Compounding the misfortune, a try by Divan Rossouw was disallowed following a review by the Television Match Official (TMO).
Reflecting on the pivotal moment involving Deysel, Coetzee expressed regret, saying, “It could have been 54-7 and a bit of momentum. It’s a shame, but this is where the game is going. Johan is an absolutely clean player and a great defender. He’s a brave player, the glue of the team. He feels like he let the team down, but not at all. He’s cut up at the moment, but we will support him.”
Despite the adversity and Deysel’s absence, Coetzee emphasized the resilience of the team, highlighting their determination to focus on their next challenge. Namibia’s last game in the World Cup is against fellow outsiders Uruguay, and Coetzee underscored the team’s objective: “To win one game at the World Cup.” He stressed the need to regroup quickly from what he referred to as “this horror movie” and shift their attention to their upcoming match to make their goal a reality.
