Van der Merwe ready when Namibia are thrown to the lions

BETWEEN head-butting lions, fending off Tunisian prostitutes and beating criminal charges of cruelty in his native Namibia, Schalk van der Merwe prepared for the World Cup.

Then, just when the lion tamer-cum-flanker thought adversity had been thwarted, two key Namibian players withdrew from rugby's pre-eminent tournament last month, citing problems with head coach Dave Waterston.

But van der Merwe made it; made it all the way to Horizon's Gold Resort in Salamander Bay, where the Namibians established their pre-World Cup training base.