Final rugby squad for Dubai 

The Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) has announced a 30-man squad for the final 2027 Rugby World Cup qualifier in Dubai next month.

Former Springbok winger Pieter Rossouw has been promoted to take over as head coach, while caretaker coach Jacques Burger joins the touring group in his official capacity as director of Namibian rugby.

It’s an experienced squad with 19 of the players having represented Namibia at the previous world cup in 2023, although several players are missing due to injuries.

According to Burger, flyhalf Tiaan Swanepoel is out with a hip injury, utility back Gershwin Mouton is out with a knee injury, centre Le Roux Malan is unavailable due to a cheekbone fracture, and lock Oliver Kurtz is out with a shoulder injury.

Loose-forward Richard Hardwick is also unavailable after picking up a suspension in the French League where he plays for FC Grenoble.

Burger says it was not easy to make the final selection.

“We looked at work ethic and conditioning, which is extremely important if you want to play at the pace these teams will play at. We also looked at players who are coachable, players with humility and team players. These are the guys we want to take with,” he says.

The squad is largely the same as the one that competed at the Africa Cup in Uganda, where they finished runners-up to Zimbabwe, although experienced backline players Johan Deysel, who captained Namibia at the 2023 world cup, and JC Greyling have been added, along with Romanian-based utility back Helarius Kisting.

“We brought Johan Deysel in to bring some experience back in the squad, obviously being an ex-Namibian captain he adds a lot of value, and Helarius Kisting unfortunately couldn’t join us at the African Cup because of injury, but he has recovered,” Burger says.

Another addition who will add quality is wingback Divan Rossouw, who had a great season for the Seattle Seawolves in the United States, where he won the coach’s player of the year award, while he also represented Namibia at the 2023 world cup.

Namibia have qualified for the past seven world cups since their debut in 1999, and Burger says he is determined to make it eight in a row.

“It’s extremely important to qualify for an eighth world cup. We had a bit of a setback when we lost Chrysander Botha as coach, who left a month before we started with the African Cup. But I think we’re in a better place now going into the repechage phase, and for me as a proud Namibian who represented my country at three world cups, it’s an unbelievable honour to be part of this group,” he says.

“I know that everyone here that is part of this team has that same pride, the same ambitions to be part of the world cup and not just to be part of it, but to get that first victory at the world cup,” Burger says.

“But for now the focus is mainly getting to the world cup and we know the type of opposition we’re up against. A lot of people have counted us out already, so it’s up to us to use our opportunities and every time we step onto the pitch, to get that perfect performance,” he says.

The NRU meanwhile announced that Namibia will play Boland in a warm-up match on Saturday in the Western Cape town of Malmesbury as part of their preparations for the Dubai qualifier which will be held from 8 to 18 November.

Namibia will join Belgium, Samoa and Paraguay in Dubai, where the four teams will battle it out for one final spot at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The Namibian squad is as follows:

Forwards:

Adriaan Booysen, Adriaan Ludick, Armand Combrinck, Gianluca Savoldelli, Haitembu Shikufa, Johan Luttig, Johan Retief, Aranos Coetzee, Joshua Bester, Louis van der Westhuizen, Max Katjijeko, Otja Auala, Prince !Gaoseb, Riaan Grove, Tiaan de Klerk, Torsten van Jaarsveld, and Wian Conradie.

Backs:

Andre van der Berg, AJ Kearns, Aston Mukwiilongo, Cliven Loubser, Danco Burger, Danie van der Merwe, Divan Rossouw, Helarius Kisting, Jacques Theron, Jay Cee Nel, JC Greyling, Johan Deysel, and Jurgen Meyer.

Management:

Jacques Burger (director of rugby), Tersia Venter (team manager), Pieter Rossouw (head coach), Jaco Engels (scrum coach), Darryl de la Harpe (skills consultant), Rohan Kitshoff (forward coach), David Philander (backline coach), Devon O’Brien (video analyst), Wilfred Bezuidenhout (team doctor), Tanya Green (lead physio), Sergio de la Harpe (lead strength and conditioning), and Zandrea Strauss (media and communication).

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