Namibia: Countdown to Rugby World Cup Begins

20 May 2022
The Namibian (Windhoek)
By Helge Schütz

NAMIBIA's preparations for the 2023 Rugby World Cup start in earnest when a national trial match will be held at the Hage Geingob National Rugby Stadium tomorrow afternoon.

The match will serve as preparation for the Welwitschias' clash against a Blue Bulls invitation team on 4 June, but more importantly, will also give local-based players an opportunity to stake their claims for the national team that will be selected for the Africa Cup and the final World Cup qualifier in France at the end of June.

With national coach Allister Coetzee still in Italy, his assistant Chrysander Botha will take charge of proceedings along with Coetzee's South African assistants, Pine Pienaar and Barend Pieterse.

Botha yesterday announced two squads for tomorrow's match following consultations with other local based coaches.

"All the local coaches were invited to nominate players, so we got together and selected a core group for the trial match. We definitely have some exciting talent available and I'm eager to see how these two teams will shape up against each other," he said.

Botha said there will be a lot to play for since the final squad to go to France was still wide open.

"Some of these players will definitely be selected for the France trip, because we don't have enough players playing abroad to make a full squad, so there will be a lot to play for," he said.

The two squads selected consist of players who have impressed in the local Premier League so far this season. Unam and the early log leaders Wanderers have the most representatives with 11 and 10 players each, while second-placed Kudus have seven players, and Western Suburbs, Grootfontein and Rehoboth six players each.

United and Reho Falcons have three representatives each.

The squads include numerous players who have represented the national side, as well as six players who represented Namibia at the 2019 World Cup, namely wing JC Greyling, centre Lesley Klim, props Nelius Theron and Des Sethie, hooker Obert Nortje and eighthman Prince Gaoseb.

Some of the other national players include Cameron Langenhoven, Lorenzo Louis, Herschelle van Wyk, Jason Benade, Oderich Mouton, Jacques Theron and Gino Wilson.

Some of the players who have been called up after impressing in the Premier League include Wanderers' lock forwards Le Beau Du Preez, Kudus lock Tertius Arangies, Unam flanker Gilad Plaatjies, Rehoboth fullback Jeandre Loubser, United scrumhalf Oela Blaauw and Kudus flyhalf Kyle Wentzel.

The two squads are as follows:

Blue team:

Jano Otto (United), Obert Nortje (Wanderers), Chemigan Beukes (Suburbs), Johan Luttig (Grootfontein), Erik Strauss (Wanderers), Cameron Langenhoven (Kudus), Boris Majiedt (Rehoboth), Prince Gaoseb (Unam), Oela Blaauw (United), Kyle Wentzel (Kudus), JC Greyling (Wanderers), Alcino Isaacks (Unam), Darryl Wellman (Unam), Ian Malan (Grootfontein), Lorenzo Louis (Unam).

Substitutes:

Zwandre Viviers (Kudus), Herschelle van Wyk (Wanderers), Des Sethie (Unam), Lorenco Calaca (Kudus), Ronald Vogel (Reho Falcon), Driaan Vorster (Wanderers), Dhale Cloete (Suburbs), Willem Enslin (Grootfontein), Geraldo Beukes (Rehoboth), Patrick Karsten (Wanderers), Irongwa Atshivudhi (Grootfontein).

Red team:

Jason Benade (Unam), Wicus Jacobs (Grootfontein), Simon Kanime (Unam), Le Beau Du Preez (Wanderers), Tertius Arangies (Kudus), Gilad Plaatjies (Unam), Joshua Jacobs (Kudus), Oderich Mouton (Unam), Jacques Theron (Wanderers), Delron Brandt (Unam), Gino Wilson (Suburbs), Bredell Wessels (Wanderers), Lesley Klim (Unam), Elmarco Beukes (Wanderers), Jeandre Loubser (Rehoboth).

Substitutes:

Gerhard Thirion, Edmando Coetzee (United), Nelius Theron (Grootfontein), Kevin Cloete (Rehoboth), Diamando Tjombe (Suburbs), Francois Visagie (Rehoboth), TK Katjivi (Suburbs), Miguel Busch (Rehoboth), Ricardo Swartz (Suburbs), Franklin Karigeb (Reho Falcon), Lloyd Jacobs (Kudus).

The match will be followed by a national women's trial match at 16h00 in preparation for the Women's Africa Cup, where Namibia will compete in the southern section against South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Read the original article on Namibian.

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