Windhoek
Come hell or high water the IRB World Cup-bound Welwitschias are in no mood for charity, as they go into their final preparation match against eternal rivals Zimbabwe this weekend.
The much-improved Namibians are on the rampage, enjoying arguably their best ever run of preparatory matches going into the global showpiece.
The fired-up Welwitschias return to their happy hunting ground, the Hage Geingob Stadium, in Windhoek tomorrow for a confrontation with the visiting Zimbabwean Sables, in what promises to be an exciting clash of the titans in the Windhoek Draught Africa Cup final.
Veteran skipper Jacques Burger will be a notable absentee as the hippy look-alike flanker has returned to the United Kingdom to finalize and tie up a few loose ends with his English club Saracens.
His departure has opened the door for loose forward Rohan Kitshoff to wear the captain’s armband.
Burger will rejoin the rest of his team-mates in Durban, South Africa later this month for a training camp with fellow World Cup campaigners, the Springboks. The inclusion of Kitshoff is one of ten changes to the starting line-up, from the side that saw off a stubborn Kenyan outfit (46-13) in Windhoek last weekend.
The team includes five members who started in the victory against Kenya, with hooker Torsten van Jaarsveld, locks Tjiuee Uanivi and Janco Venter, fly half Theuns Kotzè and fullback Chrysander Botha all in the starting line-up.
The pair of prop Johannes Coetzee and loose forward Renaldo Bothma, who both came off the bench last weekend, have been given starting berths.
Head coach Phil Davies says the rationale behind the change in playing personnel is aimed at maintaining consistency.
“We always look at the spine of the team, which is also about making sure we pick a team that can win games. It’s also in line with our 23-man, or in this case, 22-man strategy, selecting a team that could give us a full high-intensity 80 minutes’ performance.”
Winger Danie Dames, who made his Super Rugby debut for the Free State Cheetahs this year, will make his home debut for Namibia, since last year’s European tour.
Injury and personal issues have so far prevented the wing from taking part in any of his native land’s seven international matches so far this year. The substitutes’ bench sees the return of hooker Rathony Becker, loose forward Thomasua Forbes and scrumhalf Eneill Buitendag.
Meanwhile, the trio of Shaun Kaizemi (fly half), Lenif Davidson (loose forward) and Dawie van Wyk (centre) will be rested as a precautionary measure, allowing them time to nurse an assortment of niggling injuries. As it stands, Namibia and Zimbabwe lead the standings of the Africa Cup 1A Competition with Namibia at the top on a better points difference, followed by Kenya in 3rd and Tunisia in 4th position.
Tomorrow’s match will determine the 2015 African Champions, and hosts Namibia are fully aware of the danger posed by the wily Zimbabweans.
“We know they are a very well organized unit, if one takes into consideration where they come from. It’s crucial for us to get a comprehensive win, and I’m very happy with where we are in terms of fitness and understanding of what we want to achieve,” said backline coach Pieter Rosouw during a press briefing in Windhoek yesterday.
Stand-in captain Kitshoff expressed confidence ahead of the match. “We are very fortunate to have a bunch of great players in the squad. This can only augur well for competition for places. A couple of enthusiastic young players have raised their hands, so I would like to thank our supporters out there and urge them to come out en masse tomorrow.”
In their last match, Namibia accounted for Zimbabwe’s miss for a place in the IRB World Cup finals when they narrowly edged the side 24-20 in the IRB World Cup qualifiers in Madagascar. Zimbabwe will arrive in Windhoek later today.
Welwitschias squad against
Zimbabwe:
1. Casper Viviers, 2. Torsten van Jaarsveld, 3. Johannes Coetzee, 4. Tjiuee Uanivi, 5. Janco Venter, 6. Rohan Kitshoff (capt) 7. Tinus du Plessis, 8. Renaldo Bothma, 9. Arthur Bouwer, 10. Theuns Kotzè, 11. Russell van Wyk, 12. Johan Deysel, 13. JC Greyling, 14. Danie Dames, 15. Chrysander Botha
Reserves: 16. Rathony Becker, 17. Johnnie Redelinghuys, 18. Raoul Larson, 19. Thomasua Forbes, 20. PJ van Lill, 21. Eneill Buitendag, 22. Johan Tromp.