Flank Jacques Burger from English Premiership club Saracens will captain rank outsiders Namibia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand next month.
The south-west Africa nation make their Group D debut on September 10 against Fiji in Rotorua and then tackle Samoa at the same venue four days later, title holders South Africa in North Shore on September 22 and Wales in New Plymouth after a three-day break.
Burger and fellow flank Jacques Nieuwenhuis from French club Aurrilac are the stars of a squad named by coach Johan Diergaardt in the Namibian capital on Wednesday that also includes local and South Africa-based players.
The team did not impress in the mid-year IRB Nations Cup, missing many kicks at goal and lacking backline invention as they lost to hosts Romania and Georgia and narrowly defeated non-World Cup qualifiers Portugal.
Few will envy Diergaardt as he prepares the national team of a large but thinly populated country which suffered a World Cup record 142-0 defeat by hosts Australia at the 2003 tournament.
“We have blended youth and experience and must not be compared with other Namibian World Cup squads as we are the first to spend more than two years preparing for the tournament,” said the coach.
Burger is among 13 survivors of the Namibia 2007 squad that lost against Ireland (32-17), hosts France (87-10), Argentina (63-3) and Georgia (30-0) and failed to collect a solitary point.
The squad announcement came just days after the Namibia Rugby Union presient Buks Bok resigned in protest at a lack of government funding for the representatives of a minority sport in a nation where football has the most appeal.
Squad:
Backs: Johannes Bock, Chrysander Botha, Hendirk Dames, Darryl de la Harpe, Ryan de la Harpe, Eugene Janjties, Theuns Kotze, Tertius Losper, Conrad Marais, David Philander, Llelwellyn Winkler, Daniel van Wyk, Mcgrath van Wyk, Willem van Zyl
Forwards: Jacques Burger (capt), Egbertus O’Callerghan, Nico Esterhuyse, Hendrik Franken, Hugo Horn, Uakazuvara Kazombiaze, Rohan Kitshoff, Heinze Koll, Raol Larson, Pieters van Lill, Jacques Nieuwenhuis, Reaud van Neel, Tinus du Plessis, Johannes Redelinghuys, Johannes du Toit, Marius Visser
Rugby World Cup 2011 tournament organisers today clarified the status of the Webb Ellis Cup which toured New Zealand on the RWC 2011 Roadshow.
“The trophy that New Zealanders saw and had their photos taken with is the Webb Ellis Cup that will be presented to the winning team at the Final of RWC 2011 on October 23 at Eden Park,” said Rugby New Zealand 2011 CEO Martin Snedden.
“After recent media coverage we have urgently sought clarification from Tournament owner Rugby World Cup Ltd as to the status of the Cup.
“We are pleased to be able to reassure all those fans who turned up early in the morning around the country that the experience they had was genuine.”
Rugby World Cup Ltd, the subsidiary of the International Rugby Board, which owns the Tournament, said it possessed two cups.
“As is common with other major sports tournaments, we have two trophies, however only one is ever used at any given point in time,” said Tournament director Kit McConnell.
“Both cups are equal in stature. There is no original cup as such, they are interchangeable and we don’t distinguish between the two. They were both acquired before the first Tournament so share the same Rugby World Cup history.
“Both have been used at past Tournaments and both have been in the hands of winning captains and teams. They both represent the spirit of the Game.
“I want to reassure New Zealand fans that the Cup they have enjoyed recently on the RWC 2011 Roadshow will be the one held aloft on October 23 by the winning captain.”
Rohan Kitshoff, is this the WP flank? WTF is he doing playing for Namibia when he has Bok written all over him.
@ Loosehead:
Its him i read that the WP released him.
@ superBul:
Who was the Bulls prop that wasted himself playing for Namibia and the was the most expensive buy ever for the Sharks and only played Vodacom Cup for them? Kees Lenning ?
@ Loosehead:
Kees Lensing
Kees Lensing
Namibia
Full name Gideon Lensing
Born June 1, 1978, Keetmanshoop
Current age 33 years 78 days
Major teams Castres, Leeds Carnegie, Namibia
Position Prop
Height 6 ft 3 in
Weight 264 lb
All Tests
2002-2009
Played 23
Started 22
Sub 1
@ superBul:
What a waste of a player.
@ Loosehead:
Are you talking about Kitshoff LH….I think its actually lekker that the guy has the loyalty to go and play for the land of his birth.
@ 4man:
sort of agree wish more South sea islanders do it , will bring NZ back a bit
@ 4man:
No Lensing. The Boks could have really used him.
I wonder what the story is about why he never did anything at the Sharks.
@ Loosehead:
Ah, it was a culture thing, could be no other reason….he was a good prop. I believe he was a bit tetchy…but then so was my mate Mort Mortesagne…..never forget the time he chased Roger Gardiner around his desk because he hadn’t given him his “travelling money”. As a poorly paid policemen Mort needed the Tom and he had to travel from Richmond for practises and that with two young sons. Used to play for Maritzburg police originally him and that other Bok prop ….a tighthead, forget his name now. Had to look it up “Lood Muller” him and Mort were tightheads….Mort a bit before Lood. Maritzburg Police always had a bloody good team.
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