Namibia face challenge at World Cup

THE lowest-ranked team at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, Namibia head to the tournament starting tomorrow in France on a hiding to nothing.

The southern Africans were 25th in the International Rugby Board (IRB) world rankings – the lowest of all the twenty qualifiers – in late June and are pooled in a tough Group D alongside hosts France, Ireland, Argentina and Georgia. Therefore the Welwitschias, as they are commonly known, will be considered by all of their opponents as a guaranteed four points.The Namibians, though, will have other ideas and will be more than keen to prove the critics wrong as they prepare for their third consecutive World Cup.They sealed their passage to rugby’s showpiece event in November last year by comfortably overcoming Morocco over two legs in the final round of the African qualifying section.And unlike in previous years, they have continued to play competitive rugby in the run-up to the World Cup, with a trip to Romania for the IRB Nations Cup also helping their cause.Despite losing all the games on the tour – against the home team, Argentina A and a defeat to World Cup opponents Georgia, their captain Kees Lensing told PA Sport that the team was pleased to have been given the opportunity.”Because we don’t have a lot of games that we can play at that level, it was a great experience for us to be given that opportunity,” Lensing said.”There were a lot of problems, mistakes and other little things that we managed to sort out on this little tour and these are things that in the previous World Cups we were unable to sort out in advance, because we didn’t have the chance to go and play in such a tournament like Bucharest.Lensing is one of several forward members of the squad who ply their trade at provincial sides across the border in neighbouring South Africa.The 29-year-old prop, who plays for the Sharks in South Africa, is expected to lead from the front, while hooker Skipper Badenhorst (also Sharks), eighth man Jacques Burger (Griquas), flanker Jacques Nieuwenhuysen (Valke), prop Jane du Toit (Boland), hooker Hugo Horn (Border) and flanker Herman Lintvelt, also the country’s most capped player, are all expected to play a key role.”In the front row we have a couple of guys who play professionally, there’s me and Hugo,” continued Lensing.”And there are about three other guys that play in the front row or in the pack of forwards that play in South Africa, but they still have work or full-time jobs, so they play at smaller unions.”Since the retirement of experienced halfback Hakkies Husselman, Namibia’s back-line has never recovered.The former scrumhalf, who successfully played professional rugby in South Africa for many years, has now been appointed head coach.There will also be high hopes that that new centre Piet van Zyl (Boland), who plays full-time in South Africa, will live up to his potential.”The rest of the guys are more like amateurs or semi-professionals.The back-line, that’s where our big problem is as we don’t have any professional guys in that area.”Namibia doesn’t have a professional set-up like South African rugby has or all the bigger playing countries.Anyhow, we’re going to try our best.”But Lensing is keen to add another high point to Namibian rugby at France 2007, despite the team having been placed in a hugely tough pool.”Namibia has never won a game at the World Cup and our first goal is to correct that,” the former Leeds Tykes front-rower added.”On this little Romania trip we set ourselves a goal and we are preparing quite well.So we want to win a game at the World Cup and our main objective then will be to go and beat Georgia.”We had a close encounter against them now and the team all feel both physically and mentally that we are capable of doing that, so that’s the first and main thing we need to do in France.”But then as well for all the other three big games, we don’t want to just go there like in the previous World Cups.”This time we want to go there and compete.So I think we have a much better pack of forwards this time round, the guys are all very confident.”PA SportTherefore the Welwitschias, as they are commonly known, will be considered by all of their opponents as a guaranteed four points.The Namibians, though, will have other ideas and will be more than keen to prove the critics wrong as they prepare for their third consecutive World Cup.They sealed their passage to rugby’s showpiece event in November last year by comfortably overcoming Morocco over two legs in the final round of the African qualifying section.And unlike in previous years, they have continued to play competitive rugby in the run-up to the World Cup, with a trip to Romania for the IRB Nations Cup also helping their cause.Despite losing all the games on the tour – against the home team, Argentina A and a defeat to World Cup opponents Georgia, their captain Kees Lensing told PA Sport that the team was pleased to have been given the opportunity.”Because we don’t have a lot of games that we can play at that level, it was a great experience for us to be given that opportunity,” Lensing said.”There were a lot of problems, mistakes and other little things that we managed to sort out on this little tour and these are things that in the previous World Cups we were unable to sort out in advance, because we didn’t have the chance to go and play in such a tournament like Bucharest.Lensing is one of several forward members of the squad who ply their trade at provincial sides across the border in neighbouring South Africa.The 29-year-old prop, who plays for the Sharks in South Africa, is expected to lead from the front, while hooker Skipper Badenhorst (also Sharks), eighth man Jacques Burger (Griquas), flanker Jacques Nieuwenhuysen (Valke), prop Jane du Toit (Boland), hooker Hugo Horn (Border) and flanker Herman Lintvelt, also the country’s most capped player, are all expected to play a key role.”In the front row we have a couple of guys who play professionally, there’s me and Hugo,” continued Lensing.”And there are about three other guys that play in the front row or in the pack of forwards that play in South Africa, but they still have work or full-time jobs, so they play at smaller unions.”Since the retirement of experienced halfback Hakkies Husselman, Namibia’s back-line has never recovered.The former scrumhalf, who successfully played professional rugby in South Africa for many years, has now been appointed head coach.There will also be high hopes that that new centre Piet van Zyl (Boland), who plays full-time in South Africa, will live up to his potential.”The rest of the guys are more like amateurs or semi-professionals.The back-line, that’s where our big problem is as we don’t have any professional guys in that area.”Namibia doesn’t have a professional set-up like South African rugby has or all the bigger playing countries.Anyhow, we’re going to try our best.”But Lensing is keen to add another high point to Namibian rugby at France 2007, despite the team having been placed in a hugely tough pool.”Namibia has never won a game at the World Cup and our first goal is to correct that,” the former Leeds Tykes front-rower added.”On this little Romania trip we set ourselves a goal and we are preparing quite well.So we want to win a game at the World Cup and our main objective then will be to go and beat Georgia.”We had a close encounter against them now and the team all feel both physically and mentally that we are capable of doing that, so that’s the first and main thing we need to do in France.”But then as well for all the other three big games, we don’t want to just go there like in the previous World Cups.”This time we want to go there and compete.So I think we have a much better pack of forwards this time round, the guys are all very confident.”PA Sport