Namibia's Head coach Coetzee - 'It's the end of the adventure'

Allister Coetzee, head coach

On the team's movements over the next few days:

"We are heading back to our base camp today, Aix-les-Bains, and the following day we will head to Paris and from there we will head back to Namibia on Saturday morning.

"The World Cup is over for us. Once you're out you go home. At least it's not a rush. We can get a sleep over at our base camp. It's the end of the adventure and I must say it was an adventure.

"Obviously it is not the way we wanted it to end. It wasn't to be - and for obvious reasons. During that first yellow card [shown when Namibia led 23-12] we conceded 14 points, which was a complete swing-around."

On plans for a big night out before the players go home:

"The boys have time to spend with their families. I'm sure they will use the last day to venture round France and enjoy the weather. It's beautiful out there.

"We had our official closing last night. Some blokes have left already, not back to Namibia or South Africa but for overseas."

On the crowd in Lyon giving Namibia plenty of backing in their 36-26 defeat by Uruguay:

"One thing about the French is they do root for the underdog and what made it a bit more special is the fact that rooting for us meant they appreciated that we kept on fighting in every game and never gave up, so they were praising the resilience of the team and that is a take-home message. It helped the players along and motivated them in a way."

On what he had said to give Namibia their fast start against Uruguay:

"It was about the fast start and we got the try. What I did was just to rekindle the why it was important to get the win. It wasn't just for this group but to change the landscape of rugby in Namibia, and that was really important.

"With the effort that was out there, the core group that will remain and be available hopefully for the next World Cup they will build on that. I am positive that they have learned from this experience.

"The big thing is the belief and I was just trying to punt the belief since we got here. 

"Things happened in Brighton a couple of years ago with Japan [a 34-32 win for Japan over South Africa at Rugby World Cup 2015] and the whole thing with Japanese rugby took it to another level after beating the Boks. That was something I was trying to emulate here and hoping it could do the same with Namibian rugby."

On the mood in the camp at breakfast:

"There is a sense that it is a step in the right direction, the way we have played and what we have achieved in a short time. It really has been a short time, getting the squad together and preparing for the World Cup, and a short time from Uruguay, a couple of warm-up games that we played, until the World Cup.

"The last two months have been the equivalent of the amount of test matches we have played over four years. We played three in [South America, including] Uruguay in Montevideo and four here - seven test matches.

"This national team has played eight matches in four years and we have done that this year in three months. It shows that if we can get the necessary test matches, we will be much better prepared for the next one."