Proper test run before World Cup
Rugby
Namibia take on a strong Argentina A team in their opening match at the World Rugby Nations Cup.
Coach Allister Coetzee has arrived in Montevideo with his Namibian squad for a four-team series in South America that starts on Saturday, as he looks to settle on his selection for the Rugby World Cup.Namibia will compete in the World Rugby Nations Cup against Argentina XV on 29 July and Uruguay on 5 August in Montevideo, before travelling to Santiago to meet hosts Chile on 12 August as they prepare for the World Cup in France, which starts in September.
The Argentina XV will be coached by Ignacio Fernández Lobbe and Nicolás Galatro. The same two men were in charge of Los Dogos and Los Pampas in this year’s Super Rugby Americas. They have named 18 players from their respective teams in the Argentina XV squad.
The Argentina A squad contains seven players who play their rugby for elite clubs around the world. They include Bayonne hooker Facundo Bosch, who has 12 caps for Los Pumas, and Clermont wing Bautista Delguy who has 25. Perpignan’s loose forward Joaquín Oviedo is also included.
The Namibia squad includes 13 players who competed at the last World Cup in Japan four years ago.
“The focus was always to get 35 players for the Nations Cup who are ready technically, medically and that are well-conditioned. Cliven Loubser has unfortunately not recovered sufficiently enough from a knee injury be considered for the Nations Cup. He is currently doing rehab and we prefer that he be ready for the World Cup,” Namibia head coach and director of rugby Allister Coetzee said after the squad was selected.
“The players who were not given the opportunity to go to the Nations Cup are shortlisted and they will continue to play at their respective clubs and follow the strength and conditioning program that has been put in place for them.
“We still have an upcoming match against the Vodacom Bulls on 26 August where they will also definitely be considered.”
Namibia qualified for their seventh successive World Cup after beating Kenya 36-0 in the Rugby Africa Cup final last year.
Namibia are in Pool A, starting against Italy in St Etienne on 9 September before playing New Zealand, France and Uruguay.
Their final warm-up match before the World Cup will be against South Africa’s Vodacom Bulls in Windhoek on 26 August at the Hage Geingob Stadium.
• At the Nations Cup, Namibia were champions in 2010 under coach Johan Diergaardt and captain Jacques Burger, when they beat Scotland A (23-20) along with historic first Test successes against Romania (21-17) and Georgia (21-16).
Since then, Namibia has finished third only once (2016) and fourth on four occasions.