Namibia name experienced squad

NAMIBIA coach Dave Waterston has named 11 players with World Cup experience in his 30-man squad for next month’s tournament in Australia.

Namibia are in a tough pool alongside Argentina, Australia and Romania as well as Ireland. Some of the players play professional rugby in South Africa full-back Lean van Dyk, scrum-half Hakkies Husselman, lock Heino Senekal, props Neil du Toit, Kees Lensing and Janne du Toit, and hooker Hugo Horn.

The 11 players in the present squad who were at the 1999 Rugby World Cup are Lean van Wyk, Deon Mouton, Schalk van der Merwe, Rudie van Vuuren, Ronaldo Pedro, Johannes Theron, Eben Isaacs, Heino Senekal, Herman Lintvelt, Sean Furter and Horn.

Rudie van Vuuren, a medical doctor, is in the unique position of going to two World Cups in one year the cricket World Cup in South Africa and now the Rugby World Cup in Australia.

The two flanks are outstanding players Lintvelt and fearless van der Merwe who is, literally, a lion tamer. His occupation is training wild animals. He went to the 1999 World Cup as a centre.

The president of the Namibian Rugby Union, Dirk Conradie, confirmed that Waterston would be the coach for the tournament. This follows a great deal of controversy surrounding the Johannesburg-based New Zealander who coached Tonga at the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

Two of the Namibian players Rian van Wyk and Vince Dreyer and assistant coach Paul Kaplan had made themselves unavailable for inclusion in the World Cup squad because of Waterston's coaching and behaviour. They claimed he was not a good enough coach and his treatment of players and coaches was "humiliating and insulting." They further claimed that he was seldom in Namibia and had no respect for the country or its rugby. Van Wyk objected to his use of South Africa-based professionals.

Conradie said: "Waterston will definitely coach the team.

"There is no way we can take a different coach to Australia. The Union and not the players appointed the coach."

Argentina coach Marcelo Loffreda also named his 30-man squad for the Rugby World Cup yesterday.

Los Pumas have accounted for the recent scalps of France (twice), USA, Canada and Uruguay, although falling only narrowly to South Africa in June. Traditionally associated with a fiery forward game, they boast plenty of talent in the backs also, with full-backs Ignacio Corleto and Juan Martín Hernández both having proved themselves on the Test stage.

Veteran centre Lisandro Arbizu is complemented in midfield by the likes of Manuel Contepomi, while Felipe Contepomi - Manuel's brother and a summer addition to the Leinster squad - and Gonzalo Quesada will be battling for the fly-half spot.

In the pack, Perpignan powerhouse Rimas Alvarez adds a newly-found line-out threat to their game after some big performances in helping the French club to reach the Heineken Cup last season, while experienced front rowers such as Omar Hasan, Mauricio Reggiardo and Féderico Mendez add the usual bulk to their tight five game.

Veteran centre Lisandro Arbizu captains the squad, with star No.9 Agustín Pichot a more than able deputy.