Springbok coach Jake White will get his first opportunity to see his World Cup side in action when South Africa face lowly Namibia in a warm-up match in Cape Town on Wednesday.
It will also be the first match the Springboks play after former Australia coach Eddie Jones joined the squad a few weeks ago.
Jones, who led the Wallabies to the 2003 World Cup final where they lost to England in Sydney, took over from Rassie Erasmus as the team’s technical adviser after the latter quit the side to join the Stormers Super 14 team.
Jones has been particularly involved with the Bok backs, helping them with their running lines to become a bigger force in the attacking department.
While White’s team is unlikely to be tested by lowly Namibia, the management team will at least get an opportunity to see the players in action against opposition that will give as much as they get.
More than anything though, the match gives the players a chance to get back into form after last playing rugby at the beginning of July — in the Tri-Nations.
Most of the World Cup squad, though, were last in action at the end of June after White opted to rest his leading players from the overseas leg of the Tri-Nations campaign.
Game time and match sharpness are no doubt the only reasons why White has selected a near full-strength side for Wednesday’s match as he risks losing key members of his squad to injury.
Bok star Pierre Spies is already likely to miss the tournament because of a blood illness, while loose forwards Danie Rossouw, Bob Skinstad and Wikus van Heerden are on their way back to action after time on the sidelines. Bryan Habana and young prodigy Frans Steyn are also not 100% fit.
But while White may not have all his players available at this stage, he has still picked the most experienced Bok Test team in history, totalling 530 caps between the starters.
It is a strong line-up that will be rusty early on, but they’ll still be too good for the men from Namibia. The visitors lost against a South African students team 32-20 in Windhoek two weeks ago.
Hakkies Husselman’s team, who’re on their way to their third World Cup tournament, will rely heavily on a bunch of stars who ply their trade in South Africa’s Currie Cup competition.
Captain Kees Lensing, a former Leeds Tykes player in England and currently contracted to the Super 14 team the Coastal Sharks, is Namibia’s most experienced campaigner. — Sapa-AFP
Teams:
South Africa
Percy Montgomery; Ashwin Willemse, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, JP Pietersen; Butch James, Fourie du Preez; Jaques Cronje, Juan Smith, Schalk Burger; Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha; CJ van der Linde, John Smit (captain), Os du Randt. Replacements: Gary Botha, BJ Botha, Albert van den Berg, Johann Muller, Ricky Januarie, Ruan Pienaar, Akona Ndungane
Namibia
Heini Bock; Bradley Langenhoven, Lu-Wayne Botes, Piet van Zyl, Melrick Africa; Emile Wessels, Jurie van Tonder; Jacques Burger, Tinus du Plessis, Jacques Nieuwenhuis; Nico Esterhuyse, Wacca Kazombiaze; Marius Visser, Hugo Horn, Kees Lensing (captain). Replacements: JM Meyer, Jané du Toit, Johnny Redelinghuys, Herman Linvelt, Eugene Jantjies, Du Preez Grobler, TC Losper