THE Namibian rugby side will face its toughest challenge yet when it takes on a full-strength South African Springbok side at Newlands in Cape Town tomorrow.
The Namibians will be led by their fearless loose-head prop Kees Lensing in a match that has been awarded test status. It will be the first test match ever between the two nations.The match serves as a warm-up match ahead of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France early next month.The Namibians will tomorrow face the might of world-renowned players such as fullback Percy Montgomery, flanker Schalk Burger, veteran locks in Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, while others include Blue Bulls scrumhalf Fourie Du Preez and the experienced front-rower Os du Randt.The Springbok lineup will also include winger Ashwin Willemse, centres Jacques Fourie and Jean de Villiers, while Sharks speedster JP Pietersen, will also be in the mix.Springbok coach Jake White was yesterday quoted as saying: “The result of the match is not as important to us as the way we play.””We are interested in putting our patterns into play.We’ve spent weeks on the training ground and need to translate that into the way we perform on the field.”It will be a big match for Namibia’s Lensing, who will come up against his former teammates at the Blue Bulls.Lensing, who also captained the Namibian side in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, currently plays for the Sharks in South Africa and will be assisted in the team’s quest for victory by some of his teammates who also play in South Africa.Although critics argue that Namibia does not have a chance to beat the Boks, the visitors have nothing to lose as they will be using the match purely to gauge their strengths ahead of the World Cup.In a recent interview, Namibian coach Hakkies Husselman said the team was looking forward to the World Cup.”It is always nice to be the underdog and to show them this is what we are made of and it is always nice to have a low profile,” admitted the 34-year-old on the Springbok encounter.”We will see what happens, but we are looking forward to each and every game and we definitely won’t be a walkover in any of those.The players are very committed, they are working very hard and we are just looking forward to the games,” he said.Other Namibian players who ply their trade in South Africa’s Currie Cup competition include centre Piet van Zyl, number eight Jacques Burger, flanker Jacques Nieuwenhuis, hooker Hugo Horn and Lensing.The young and enterprising Heini Bock will be employed in the full-back position for the Namibians, while Melrick Africa, who also played at the previous World Cup, will pair Bradley Langenhoven on the wings.Lu-Wayne Botes will be the outside centre, while van Zyl will be his partner on the inside.Du Preez Grobler, who partnered Corne Powell in the previous World Cup, has been left on the bench and he will possibly be used later in the match.The tenacious lock Wacca Kazombiaze who turns out for Western Suburbs at home, will be key in the line-outs and he will be sharing duties with Nico Esterhuysen.The reliable Emile Wessels will take charge of the kicking duties in the fly-half position, while the stocky Jurie van Tonder, will be expected to feed the back line from the base of the scrum.The full Namibian squad was announced yesterday: 15-Heini Bock; 14-Bradley Langenhoven, 13-Lu-Wayne Botes, 12-Piet van Zyl, 11-Melrick Africa; 10-Emile Wessels, 9-Jurie van Tonder; 8-Jacques Burger, 7-Tinus du Plessis, 6-Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 5-Nico Esterhuysen, 4-Wacca Kazombiaze, 3-Marius Visser, 2-Hugo Horn, 1-Kees Lensing.Subs: 16-JM Meyer, 17-Jani du Toit, 18-Johnny Redelinghuys, 19-Herman Lintvelt, 20-Eugene Jantjies, 21-Du Preez Grobler, 22-TC Losper.It will be the first test match ever between the two nations.The match serves as a warm-up match ahead of the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France early next month.The Namibians will tomorrow face the might of world-renowned players such as fullback Percy Montgomery, flanker Schalk Burger, veteran locks in Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield, while others include Blue Bulls scrumhalf Fourie Du Preez and the experienced front-rower Os du Randt.The Springbok lineup will also include winger Ashwin Willemse, centres Jacques Fourie and Jean de Villiers, while Sharks speedster JP Pietersen, will also be in the mix.Springbok coach Jake White was yesterday quoted as saying: “The result of the match is not as important to us as the way we play.” “We are interested in putting our patterns into play.We’ve spent weeks on the training ground and need to translate that into the way we perform on the field.”It will be a big match for Namibia’s Lensing, who will come up against his former teammates at the Blue Bulls.Lensing, who also captained the Namibian side in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, currently plays for the Sharks in South Africa and will be assisted in the team’s quest for victory by some of his teammates who also play in South Africa.Although critics argue that Namibia does not have a chance to beat the Boks, the visitors have nothing to lose as they will be using the match purely to gauge their strengths ahead of the World Cup.In a recent interview, Namibian coach Hakkies Husselman said the team was looking forward to the World Cup.”It is always nice to be the underdog and to show them this is what we are made of and it is always nice to have a low profile,” admitted the 34-year-old on the Springbok encounter.”We will see what happens, but we are looking forward to each and every game and we definitely won’t be a walkover in any of those.The players are very committed, they are working very hard and we are just looking forward to the games,” he said.Other Namibian players who ply their trade in South Africa’s Currie Cup competition include centre Piet van Zyl, number eight Jacques Burger, flanker Jacques Nieuwenhuis, hooker Hugo Horn and Lensing.The young and enterprising Heini Bock will be employed in the full-back position for the Namibians, while Melrick Africa, who also played at the previous World Cup, will pair Bradley Langenhoven on the wings.Lu-Wayne Botes will be the outside centre, while van Zyl will be his partner on the inside.Du Preez Grobler, who partnered Corne Powell in the previous World Cup, has been left on the bench and he will possibly be used later in the match.The tenacious lock Wacca Kazombiaze who turns out for Western Suburbs at home, will be key in the line-outs and he will be sharing duties with Nico Esterhuysen.The reliable Emile Wessels will take charge of the kicking duties in the fly-half position, while the stocky Jurie van Tonder, will be expected to feed the back line from the base of the scrum.The full Namibian squad was announced yesterday: 15-Heini Bock; 14-Bradley Langenhoven, 13-Lu-Wayne Botes, 12-Piet van Zyl, 11-Melrick Africa; 10-Emile Wessels, 9-Jurie van Tonder; 8-Jacques Burger, 7-Tinus du Plessis, 6-Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 5-Nico Esterhuysen, 4-Wacca Kazombiaze, 3-Marius Visser, 2-Hugo Horn, 1-Kees Lensing.Subs: 16-JM Meyer, 17-Jani du Toit, 18-Johnny Redelinghuys, 19-Herman Lintvelt, 20-Eugene Jantjies, 21-Du Preez Grobler, 22-TC Losper.
