THE Welwitschias’ preparations for this year’s Currie Cup competition started on Monday night when a group of about 50 players attended the first training session at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium.
The Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) announced a group of 47 players on Monday while a few others also attended the first training session.
The squad is quite experienced, including nine players who represented Namibia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup, and several more who competed in last year’s Vodacom Cup.
The players who represented Namibia at the World Cup are prop AJ de Klerk; hooker DG Wiese; loose forwards Rohan Kitshoff and Leneve Damens; centres Darryl de la Harpe, Heinrich Smit and JC Greyling; wing Russel van Wyk and fullback Johan Tromp.
Some of the players who competed in last year’s Vodacom Cup tournament include prop Shaun du Preez; hooker Rathony Becker; lock Morne Blom; loose forwards Victor Rodrigues, Thomasau Forbes and Zanna Botes; scrumhalf Arthur Bouwer; flyhalves Shawn Kaizemi and Justin Nel; centres Leslie Klim and Tuna Amutenya; and wings Nandivatu Karuuombe and Philip Nashikaku.
Wanderers have the most representatives with 13 players, while United and Western Suburbs each have 11 players. Reho Falcon have six and Kudus three representatives, but the defending Premier League champions Unam only have three representatives in the group.
Besides the elected group, Wanderers fullback Riaan van Zyl, wing Malcolm Moore and flanker Herman Krause also attended Monday’s training session, while Namibia’s World Cup conditioning coach Wayne Proctor was also present after recently arriving from Wales.
The squad will be training intensively in preparation for the Currie Cup which starts in two months time with an away match against the Free State on 9 April.
Namibia will play a total of 14 matches in the first round of the Currie Cup which will conclude on 23 July. This will be followed by a second round consisting of a Premier Division and a First Division which will culminate in the Currie Cup final on 8 October.
Namibia’s other away matches in the first round are against the Sharks, the Pumas, the Leopards, the Falcons, Boland an the Blue Bulls, while their home matches are against the defending champions the Lions, Eastern Province, Griquas, the Griffons, SWD, Border and Western Province.
The NRU meanwhile announced that its director of Rugby, John Williams has been appointed as the Welwitschias’ coach for the Currie Cup campaign.
Williams previously coached Namibia during their 2011 Rugby World Cup campaign, while he also coached the Falcons.
Williams will be assisted by Roger Thompson as backline coach, while senior players Rohan Kitshoff and Darryl de la Harpe will also assist with the coaching.
The NRU must also still appoint a CEO after the resignation of Sybrand de beer and in the interim his position will be filled by Elizma Theron.
The Welwitschias training squad is as follows:
Forwards:
AJ de Klerk, Aleck Botha (both Wanderers), Collen Smit (United), Jason Benade (Reho Falcon), Shaun du Preez, DG Wiese (both Wanderers), Dewald Coetzee (Western Suburbs), Eaton Cloete (Unam), Neil van Vuuren (United), Rathony Becker (Western Suburbs), Delric van Wyk and Denzil van Wyk (both Reho Falcon), Morne Blom (United), Ruan Ludick (Wanderers), Vavi Kaura, Roderiques Victor (both Western Suburbs), Rohan Kitshoff (Wanderers), Cevin Harding (United), Ngumo Ngaiko (Kudus), Thomasau Forbes (Western Suburbs), Zane Groenewaldt (United), Leneve Damens (Wanderers), Naude Neethling (United) and Zanna Botes (Wanderers).
Backs:
Arthur Bouwer (Wanderers), Collen de Koe (Reho Falcon), JC Winckler (Western Suburbs), Cameron Klassen (Unam), Ascher Coetzee (Western Suburbs), Claude Bouwer (United), Justin Nel and Shawn Kaizemi (Western Suburbs), MP Pretorius (Wanderers), Brendan Dentlinger (Reho Falcon), Darryl de la Harpe (Western Suburbs), Donovan Hummel (Kudus), Heinrich Smit and JC Greyling (Wanderers), Leslie Klim (Unam), Tuna Amutenya (United), Russel van Wyk (Western Suburbs), Divan Singaram (Reho Falcon), Nandivatu Karuuombe, Philip Nashikaku, Stephan Louw (all United), Johann Tromp (Wanderers) and Quinton Fielding (Kudus).
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