United going out with ‘all guns blazing’

Trustco United will be going all out when they take on FNB Rehoboth tomorrow in their quest to reach the Windhoek Lager Rugby Premier League semifinals.

United are currently fifth on the log, seven points behind fourth-placed FNB Grootfontein, but they have a game in hand, and victory at Rehoboth could put them in the driving seat to reach the knockout stages.

Grootfontein can make sure of reaching the semifinals if they beat FNB Wanderers in their final league match at home tomorrow, but a defeat will bring United back in the race and they are determined to take their chance, according to coach Robbie Dickson.

“We are excited about the challenge — the next two games are must-win games for us, and if everything goes according to plan we should qualify for the semifinals. So this weekend we will be going out with all guns blazing to make sure we get the win and, if possible, the additional bonus points for tries,” he says.

“We put a bit more focus on our fitness the last couple of weeks to make sure that we can pull the games through towards the end, and we’ve also put a lot of emphasis on our execution in the final 22-yard area, as we get a lot of entries into the 22, but not always the results from the entries that we want. We know it’s going to be hard, but I think we are ready, we have prepared well and I think we have the team to deliver the results,” he adds.

Rehoboth won’t have much to play for as they are out of the running for the semifinals. They are also coming off a crushing 97-30 defeat to Wanderers last weekend, so a lot will depend on their psychological readiness for the match.

United won their first round encounter 39-21 at home on 1 June, but if Rehoboth can raise their mindset, they will be a tough nut to crack on their home ground.

FNB Unam and Wanderers, meanwhile, are in a race to finish at the top of the log, with Unam holding a two-point lead.

Unam seemingly have the easier run in as they host sixth-placed FNB Reho Falcon, who still have a mathematical chance of reaching the last four, but their 40-34 defeat to Grootfontein last weekend effectively put paid to their hopes.

Unam have only lost two matches all season and are now on a six-match winning streak since their last defeat against Wanderers on 8 June. Falcons, however, should not be underestimated, and in fact, pulled off one of the upsets of the season when they beat Unam 21-17 in their first round encounter at Rehoboth.

Wanderers are back at full strength and should start as the favourites against Grootfontein, especially after their thumping 97-30 victory against Rehoboth last weekend. That team included eight players who represented Namibia at the Africa Cup in Uganda, and they too are peaking at the right time, now on a five-match unbeaten streak.

Grootfontein, however, are under pressure from United and will have to beat Wanderers if they want to make sure of clinching a semifinal spot.

They ran Wanderers close in their first round encounter — losing 38-27 in Windhoek — and with a semifinal spot at stake, will be highly motivated for tomorrow’s match.

In tomorrow’s final match, third-placed FNB Kudus, who are already through to the semifinals, will start as the big favourites when they host struggling FNB Western Suburbs at the coast.