Hakkies Husselman is no stranger to the Rugby World Cup stage, the former scrum half having been one of Namibia’s key players in their squad during the fifth edition of the tournament in Australia four years ago.
Rugby World Cup 2007 will be Husselman’s second tournament, only this time the 34-year-old will be wearing a different hat as Namibia coach in France, having been promoted from the assistant role following the sacking of Johan Venter.
Husselman will therefore be the youngest of the 20 national coaches in the tournament – beating Portugal’s Tomaz Morais by a couple of years – and this factor is something of an extra motivation as he quickly adapts into his new role.
“What happened is our previous coach was sacked about three or four months ago, I was assistant coach at that moment and I just stepped into the coaching,” Husselman, who turns 35 on 3 November, told Total Rugby Radio.
“I am looking forward to the experience. We are working with very hard here and we are trying to do things right. I have two assistant coaches here at the moment, one from Northern Transvaal and the other from the Falcons Union in South Africa.
“They are assisting me quite well and we are learning a lot from them as well and we are looking forward just for the big experience. Previously I was a player, at the moment I am the coach and it is quite difficult to make that step up, but I am working on that and it is a big challenge for me.”
His quick transition to the coaching ranks also means that Husselman has played with many of those now under his guidance, including the likes of Kees Lensing, Heino Senekal, Melrick Africa and Morne Schreuder.
However the new roles have not been a problem, but rather a helping hand as Namibia prepare for a Pool D campaign with France, Ireland, Argentina and Georgia – the team they will target for their first ever World Cup victory in Lens on 26 September.
“It has definitely helped me [having my former teammates in the squad]. Most of the players normally see you as one of them, and it has changed now the last three or four months in the sense that I am now coaching,” explained Husselman.
“Previously we told each other what to do, now I am telling them what to do but I talked individually to everyone, I told them what I want and what we are doing and most of them bought into that, so I am happy at the moment.
“Most of them accept me for what I am and who I am and we are working quite well together at the moment, so it is not a problem at this stage, definitely not a problem for me now.”
Another aspect helping Husselman in his new position are the memories and experiences of playing in Rugby World Cup 2003, when he scored a try in Namibia’s 67-14 defeat by Argentina in Gosford.
“Definitely, I think the experience from 2003 in the sense of that I was playing and I was noticing what management and what coaches were doing at that stage is helping me a lot at the moment,” insisted Husselman.
“How to do things and how to change things, maybe to do it better you know. It is always like a curve to see where you can do better and I think at the moment we are already doing it better in the sense that preparations are much more on target.
“We will be playing the Springboks on 15 August in South Africa. That is a very difficult game that will be coming up for us, but at the moment we are just doing it from week to week, trying to do our best and get the players in top fitness and top shape.”
Listen to the full interview on this week’s Total Rugby Radio on irb.com
