Mariental clip Swallows' wings 

The rugby drought in the south of the country was broken with the first two Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) First Division South league matches for the 2026 season played.    

Keetmanshoop Rams, Mariental, Oranjemund and Ocean Swallows are competing in the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) First Division South league this season and carry the hopes of the region in the competition.

Mariental Rugby Club defeated Oeaan Swallows 12-5 at the Lüderitz Sports Stadium in the harbour town, and Oranjemund registered a 32-24 win against Keetmanshoop RAMS at home. 

Tightly contested - Both teams came out firing on all cylinders and prevented each other from scoring for the first 35 minutes of the match with crashing tackles and rock-solid defending. 

Handling errors also curtailed efforts by both teams to get onto the scoreboard, with referee Bernado Scheffers showing three yellow cards (two for Mariental and one for Ocean Swallows) in the match.

After sustained pressure applied by Mariental, right wing Raymund Forbes eventually touched down for the visitors by rounding off a well-orchestrated attack in the 36th minute. Fly-half Nushan Neels missed the conversion (5-0).  

Forbes visited the try line again moments after play resumed in the second half. Neels added the conversion and made the score 12-0 in favour of Mariental.   

Ocean Swallows' inside centre, Alvaro Inkono, eventually breached the Mariental defense and touched down for a try late in the second half. Fly-half Jamal Van Wyk missed the conversion.     

“It feels good. We had a long drive, arrived, competed and pocketed the win. Ocean Swallows gave us a tough time. We gave it our all, and the boys played well. This win is dedicated to our fans,” said Mandero Haimbodi, the Mariental captain and inside centre after the match.    

Oranjemund vs Keetmanshoop RAMS - Oranjemund also hosted and registered a 32-24 win against Keetmanshoop RAMS. 

Full-back Gino Wilson was on fire and contributed 16 points for Oranjemund in their 32-24 victory over Keetmanshoop RAMS. Wilson scored a try, converted four tries and added a penalty goal. Fly-half Shaun Farmer also scored two tries, with left wing Kholisili Isaacs and eighthman Keanan Beukes each adding a try.  Right wing Corbin Kotze, outside centre Heino Keister and lock Sean-Aimee Pieters replied with tries for the visitors. Replacement Edward Stein scored a try and added two conversions for Keetmanshoop RAMS. 

First Division Central / North League - Eastern Bulls (Gobabis), NUST, Okahandja Highlanders, Reho Falcon II, Oceans and Sparta are competing in the NRU First Division Central/North League.

Sparta United is placed at the top of the log with 17 points after three matches. Sparta scored 128 points and conceded 25 points. Vipers, also with 17 points is placed second. They scored 90 points and conceded 34 points. The Okahandja Highlanders is placed third with 6 points, followed by Oceans with 4 points. Reho Falcon III, Eastern Bulls and NUSt must still open their accounts.  

Results - Sparta Rugby Club defeated NUST 46-10, Okahandja Highlanders defeated Reho Falcon III 52-12, Vipers defeated Oceans Rugby Club 41-24 and the Eastern Bulls defeated Vicking 43-42. , 

Upcomming Fixtures – The second round of the NRU First Division South league matches will take place on 9 May, followed by fixtures on 13 June, 27 June, 11 July, 25 July and the final round of matches on 8 August. The quarter-finals of the NRU First League are scheduled for 29 August, followed by the semi-finals (12 September) and the final on 26 September.