Rugby World Cup 2015: New Zealand vs. Namibia live streaming info and preview
New Zealand will have their second test of the 2015 Rugby World Cup as the All Blacks face Namibia at Olympic Park on Friday. The defending champion defeated Argentina 26-16 in their World Cup opener on Monday, led by Sonny Bill Williams, who came off the bench for the Kiwis.
The All Blacks will try to defend their back-to-back title campaign in the World Cup once they face World No. 20 Namibia in the group stage of the quadrennial tournament. Namibia, meanwhile, will have a taste of their first action in this year’s Rugby World Cup, but they are expected to be run up by the Kiwis with a cricket score in front of more than 55,000 fans in Stratford.
New Zealand, the tournament favourite, struggled in their first match of Pool C against a surprisingly tough Argentina. The Pumas pressured the All Blacks and forced them to concede penalties, putting the defending champs behind the scoreboard 16-12. However, New Zealand produced a strong second half to overcome Argentina, after coach Steve Hansen decided to put his bench into action, increasing the team’s attacking options.
Despite playing minnows Namibia, Hansen is expected to make major changes in the All Blacks’ lineup. In a surprising move, Hansen handed the leadership duties to Openside Sam Cane, with Richie McCaw on the bench for getting a yellow card against Argentina.
"At the completion of this match, 30 of the 31 players in our squad will have experienced time in the middle of the park which will give us a good foundation base going forward and which was always part of our planning pre-tournament," Hansen said, as quoted by Stuff. "It's now their time to step up."
Meanwhile, Saracens flanker Jacques Burger will lead Namibia, who is on a four-game winning streak heading into the RWC, beating Zimbabwe 80-6 to clinch the African Championship last month. Namibia coach Phil Davies revealed he will deploy a 23-man squad against the defending champs to build momentum with the rest of the tournament.
"We want to start building momentum with the rest of the tournament in mind and for each match we will use a 23-man strategy in order to sustain an 80-minute performance required at this level," Davies said, reports ESPN. "We have also looked at the World Cup as a four-match programme and have full confidence in our 31-man squad to reach our goals."
The clash between the Kiwis and Namibia on Friday will be their first meeting in the World Cup. The All Blacks have won all 25 games in the group stage of the Rugby World Cup, making them the heavy favourite to top Pool C. Namibia, meanwhile, have lost all 15 of their games in the World Cup by an average margin of 55 points.
Team lineup (Courtesy of BBC)
New Zealand: Colin Slade; Nehe Milner-Skudder, Malakai Fekitoa, Sonny Bill Williams, Julian Savea; Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara; Ben Franks, Codie Taylor, Charlie Faumuina, Luke Romano, Sam Whitelock, Liam Messam, Sam Cane (capt), Victor Vito. Replacements: Kevin Mealamu, Wyatt Crockett, Tony Woodcock, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Ma'a Nonu, Ben Smith.
Namibia: Johan Tromp; David Philander, JC Greyling, Johan Deysel, Conrad Marais; Theuns Kotze, Eugene Jantjies; Jaco Engels, Torsten van Jaarsveld, Johannes Coetzee, Tjiuee Uanivi, Pieter-Jan van Lill, Jacques Burger, Tinus du Plessis, Leneve Damens. Replacements: Louis van der Westhuizen, Casper Viviers, Raoul Larson, Renaldo Bothma, Janco Venter, Rohan Kitshoff, Eneill Buitendag, Chrysander Botha.
Watch 2015 Rugby World Cup live streaming via Fox Sports or Sky Go.
Contact the writer at feedback@ibtimes.com.au, or let us know what you think below.
