It was everything but a picknick for the Springboks last night in Windhoek as the Namibia Invitation XV made the Boks fight for their victory of 36 – 7.
That scoreline might sound like it was a one-sided game, but it was anything but that. The SA XV led only 8-7 at half-time, and for some time into the second half before eventually the addition of first choice substitutes saw the shadow Boks find their range and run away with it.
However, the Namibians butchered a couple of excellent scoring opportunities which would have put them into the lead near the 50 minute mark and it might have been a different finish to the game had they gone ahead.
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Springbok coach Peter de Villiers named his team who will face the Namibian Invitation XV at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek on Friday. The team included only twelve players with Test experience.
The three uncapped players in the starting XV are Xerox Lions fullback Earl Rose, Vodacom Western Province outside centre Morgan Newman and Sharks loose forward Jean Deysel. A further three uncapped players were selected on the bench in Vodacom Cheetahs prop Wian du Preez, Sharks lock Steven Sykes and Xerox Lions scrumhalf Jano Vermaak.
“We know what we have in our established players and want to use this match as an opportunity to see what the new players offer and also give them an opportunity to show what they can do at another level,” said De Villiers.
John Smit will captain the side from tighthead, the same position at which he started the November tests against Wales and Scotland. Smit did well against the Welsh before an injury to Bismarck du Plessis forced him to revert to hooker against the Scots.
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The Namibia Invitation XV team will include five Springboks, including Saracens-bound Derick Hougaard to face the Springboks on May 29th.
Hougaard, who left South Africa late last year to join mentor Heyneke Meyer at Leicester Tigers, is set to join a growing band of South Africans at the Brendon Venter-coached Saracens club in the new Northern Hemisphere season.
However, next week he gets a chance to remind Bok coach Peter de Villiers of his international credentials.
The other Boks are fullback Jaco van der Westhuyzen, wing Tonderai Chavhanga, centre Meyer Bosman and centre Wayne Julies.
Namibian coach John Williams named Hougaard, Van der Westhuyzen, Chavhanga and Bosman in his starting XV, while Julies will play off the replacement bench.
The squad is further strengthened by experienced Super 14 players like Rory Kockott, Duane Vermeulen, Nico Breedt, David de Villiers and Richardt Strauss.
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