Maqonda Ndlovu

The Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) has announced 31 of 33 players to represent the country at the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France from 8 September to 28 October 2023.

The squad was announced yesterday by NRU president Petrie Theron in Windhoek in the presence of the media, NRU CEO John Haynes, and NRU vice president Johan Diergaardt, and was attended virtually by World Rugby.

There were no surprises in the team, as the bulk of the players announced were part of the team that participated in the recent South America tour, where Namibia played three matches, lost two, and won one.

The two forward players who were not named still have outstanding issues: one awaits medical clearance due to a recent injury and the other because his documents have not been processed by the ministry of home affairs.

Coach Allister Coetzee said Johan Deysel will captain the team, while Torsten van Jaarsveld will be vice captain.

“Having worked with these two gentlemen, I am very pleased with the way they have kept and led this team together. Their individual performances have been good. Before you can be a captain, you have to play, and what I like about them is that they have been selecting themselves, as their form is good, and they drive a good team culture. We also have a good leadership group comprising senior players who will support the captain and his vice,” Coetzee said.

He said the two are leading a good culture and driving the team culture, which is exemplary.

Several players missed out because of injuries and other issues, with Helarius Kisting and Andre Rademeyer being the main losers.

Other players, like Llyod Jacobs, missed out because the coaches could only name 33 players while 45 were in contention.

Coetzee said the standby list is not finalised as well because of various issues ranging from injuries to medical clearances to the non-availability of national documents. jrnmarko@gmail.com

Namibia’s RWC Squad is as follows: