Namibian side for Morocco chosen

NAMIBIA have chosen their rugby team for the vital second leg of their World Cup qualifier to be played against Morocco in Casablanca on Saturday.

Namibia won the first leg 25-8 in Windhoek and thus take a healthy cushion with them for their journey north. They may need it.But if they can win this leg, they go directly to France for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, repeating their achievements of 1999 and 2003.The loser of this encounter has a second, but difficult, chance through répechage, playing the loser of the qualifier between Portugal and Georgia and then Uruguay to get to France.They have made changes to their team.Schalk van der Merwe, Rodger Thompson and Gideon van der Berg come off the bench and into the starting team.Thompson came off the bench in the first leg when he replaced injured Lu-Wayne Botes.This time he starts in the place of Botes.Tough Van der Merwe replaces Tinus du Plessis, who drops to the bench, as does Johannes Redlinghuys who is replaced by Van der Berg.Missing again is powerful centre Hendrik Meyer, who made such great strides in South African rugby this year.He began the season playing for the Pumas, but then was signed by the Cheetahs and played for them in the Currie Cup, starting in both the semi-final and the Final.According to Naka Drotské, the manager of the Cheetahs, Namibia had asked that Meyer be eligible for selection for Namibia, something the Cheetahs were obliged to agree to by the regulations of the International Rugby Board.But the Cheetahs insisted that Namibia take over Meyer’s medical insurance for the qualifiers, as he was their expensive asset and would risk injury by playing when he should be rested.Drotské believed that the matter had been sorted out for the second leg, but Meyer is still not in the team.The Namibian captain, big Kees Lensing, missed their vital match with Tunisia in Windhoek earlier, when he played for the Sharks in their Currie Cup semi-final – though he was substituted after only 20 minutes.He came back into the Namibian side for the first leg against Morocco and will again lead them for the second leg.The Namibian team leave Windhoek on Tuesday evening and get to Morocco 23 hours later.The team take an interpreter with them – Pierre Louvrier.The Namibian team: 15 Heini Bock, 14 Guillaume Nel, 13 Rodger Thompson, 12 Corné Powell, 11 Melrick Africa, 10 Emile Wessels, 9 Pieter Rossouw, 8 Jacques Burger, 7 Schalk van der Merwe, 6 Herman Lintvelt, 5 Uakazuvaka Kazombiaze, 4 Heino Senekal, 3 Gideon van der Berg, 2 Johannes Meyer, 1 Kees Lensing (captain) Replacements: 16 Morné Louw, 17 Nico Genis, 18 Deon Mouton, 19 Eugene Jantjies, 20 Tinus du Plessis , 21 Nico Esterhuize, 22 Johannes Redelinghuys Coaches: Johannes Venter Manager: Sarel Losper Referee: Romain Poite (France).Planet RugbyThey may need it.But if they can win this leg, they go directly to France for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, repeating their achievements of 1999 and 2003.The loser of this encounter has a second, but difficult, chance through répechage, playing the loser of the qualifier between Portugal and Georgia and then Uruguay to get to France.They have made changes to their team.Schalk van der Merwe, Rodger Thompson and Gideon van der Berg come off the bench and into the starting team.Thompson came off the bench in the first leg when he replaced injured Lu-Wayne Botes.This time he starts in the place of Botes.Tough Van der Merwe replaces Tinus du Plessis, who drops to the bench, as does Johannes Redlinghuys who is replaced by Van der Berg.Missing again is powerful centre Hendrik Meyer, who made such great strides in South African rugby this year.He began the season playing for the Pumas, but then was signed by the Cheetahs and played for them in the Currie Cup, starting in both the semi-final and the Final.According to Naka Drotské, the manager of the Cheetahs, Namibia had asked that Meyer be eligible for selection for Namibia, something the Cheetahs were obliged to agree to by the regulations of the International Rugby Board.But the Cheetahs insisted that Namibia take over Meyer’s medical insurance for the qualifiers, as he was their expensive asset and would risk injury by playing when he should be rested.Drotské believed that the matter had been sorted out for the second leg, but Meyer is still not in the team.The Namibian captain, big Kees Lensing, missed their vital match with Tunisia in Windhoek earlier, when he played for the Sharks in their Currie Cup semi-final – though he was substituted after only 20 minutes.He came back into the Namibian side for the first leg against Morocco and will again lead them for the second leg.The Namibian team leave Windhoek on Tuesday evening and get to Morocco 23 hours later.The team take an interpreter with them – Pierre Louvrier.The Namibian team: 15 Heini Bock, 14 Guillaume Nel, 13 Rodger Thompson, 12 Corné Powell, 11 Melrick Africa, 10 Emile Wessels, 9 Pieter Rossouw, 8 Jacques Burger, 7 Schalk van der Merwe, 6 Herman Lintvelt, 5 Uakazuvaka Kazombiaze, 4 Heino Senekal, 3 Gideon van der Berg, 2 Johannes Meyer, 1 Kees Lensing (captain) Replacements: 16 Morné Louw, 17 Nico Genis, 18 Deon Mouton, 19 Eugene Jantjies, 20 Tinus du Plessis , 21 Nico Esterhuize, 22 Johannes Redelinghuys Coaches: Johannes Venter Manager: Sarel Losper Referee: Romain Poite (France).Planet Rugby