UAE Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 Ambitions Come to an End

UAE Men’s XV Rugby World Cup 2027 ambitions were ended at the Mandela Stadium in Uganda as the much better Namibians defeated them 86-29 in the Asia/Africa RWC 2027 Play-Off.

Feature Photo Credit – Asia Rugby

The Welwitschias (Namibians) ran in 13 tries to convincingly win the one-off contest as they were better across the park, and the stats showed they had the better of the UAE side at the set piece.  Namibia had 100% success in their scrum and lineouts, while the UAE only won 3/5 scrums on their own ball and 5/10 lineouts.

The win means the Namibians have yet to lose to an Asian side, while the UAE are yet to beat an African team. The Namibians have been to every Rugby World Cup since 1999 and will move on to the Final Qualification tournament in Dubai in November.

The UAE showed early signs that they would be competitive as they scored first and were in the game in the opening quarter. Number eight Emosi Vecenaua opened the scoring with the first of his two tries in the opening minutes, but Jurgen Meyer replied soon after.

Photo Credit – Asia Rugby

The two sides forgot that tackling was part of the game as they racked up points in the opening half. There were nine tries in the game, six of which were scored by the winners as they led 39-22 at the break.

Namibia showed their power as they punished the UAE, who were poor in defence and discipline. The UAE conceded two yellow cards again in a Test match.

The second half again saw flurries of tries with the Namibians running in plenty at the end, but the contest was already over with 30 minutes in the game remaining.

Jacques Burger, the Welwitschias Head Coach, said, “We made so many mistakes, we let people in – we score, we let them in, we score, let them in – if we can manage the game better and be a bit more mature in the way we play, it’s going to be tough to beat us.

The great thing is that it shows where African rugby is at the moment. Zimbabwe deserved to qualify – and we’ve got another shot, and we deserved that today. [We have a] lot to work on, but we’ll get back to the drawing board and make sure we’re better next time.”

Photo Credit – Asia Rugby

UAE Head Coach Jacques Benade said, “This was an unbelievable experience and we learned a lot from this. They are a good side and better than us, and we just need to keep building.”

UAE Captain Andrew Semple added, “We started well, and we wanted a good start. They got on top of us in the set pieces. 12 months ago, we were nowhere near this, so it’s made people stand up and notice us. We want to keep developing. We are disappointed we aren’t going to play in Dubai, but good luck to Namibia.”

Namibia fly-half André van der Berg contributed 21 points in scoring nine conversions and a penalty. Tries were scored by: Jurgen Meyer, Richard Hardwick (2), Torsten van Jaarsveld (2), Oliver Kurz, Aston Mukwiilongo (2), Danie van der Merwe, Adriaan Ludick, Armand Combrinck (2) and Max Katjijeko.

There were UAE tries for Emosi Vecenaua (2), Jack Stapley, and Max Johnson.

RWC 2027 Final Qualification Tournament

Bergder said, “We asked for a second shot, we’ve got a second shot – now we’ve got to make it work. We need to show people the character of this team. With our backs against the wall, we’ll fight for that qualification spot.

It’s going to be extremely tough against some tough opposition. All the players will go back to their clubs, so the preparation time does make it a little bit tough.”

Belgium is confirmed for the tournament, while two potential teams from the Pacific and South America, and North America are to be confirmed.

The full  UAE vs Namibia match can be seen here.

2025 Test Rugby News

• Namibia vs UAE Preview – Asia/Africa RWC 2027 Qualifier Play-Off.
• Sacrifice, Passion, and A Close-Knit Group – Hong Kong China Men’s 15s Now Target the World Stage at RWC 2027.
• Brave Blossoms Lipovitan D Tour 2025 Fixtures In Europe Confirmed.
• Pacific Nations Cup 2025 Details Announced.