New Zealand vs. Namibia: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for Rugby World Cup Game
Top plays bottom at the Olympic Stadium on Thursday when world No. 1 New Zealand take on the lowest-ranked side in the competition, Namibia.
The clash sees the All Blacks tackle the 20th-ranked Africans, who have never won a Rugby World Cup game.
It’s a first run-out for the Namibians and a second Pool C game for the World Champions following their unimpressive opening win over Argentina.
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Such is the depth of talent available to All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, wholesale changes have been made to his lineup for the clash, but any threat of complacency that may have threatened to creep in ahead of what—on paper—represents their easiest match in the section must surely have been banished by the sight of Japan’s humbling of the mighty South Africa.
That result has certainly injected extra belief into the Namibian camp ahead of their latest attempt to secure a first World Cup victory, per coach Pieter Rossouw’s comments on NZCity: "Everybody's getting self-belief that you're only playing against human people on the other side. The challenge is for teams to play that level every week, every game, not just for 40 minutes but for 80 minutes. That's what Japan got right."
And although the All Blacks will be on their guard, Patrick McKendry of the New Zealand Herald still expects something approaching a cricket score: "It might pay to keep the record books handy anyway. Namibia's worst World Cup defeat was a record 142-0 thrashing by Australia in 2003 in which they conceded 22 tries."
Match details
Date: Thursday, September 24
Time: 8 p.m. BST/3 p.m. EST
Venue: Olympic Stadium, London
TV Info: UK, ITV1; Australia, Fox Sports; NZ, SkySport; South Africa, SuperSports
Live Stream: ITV Player (UK only)
Last five games
New Zealand have only found top gear once so far in 2015. That came in their thumping win over Australia having been turned over in Sydney a week earlier.
They also needed a last-minute try from Richie McCaw to overcome the Springboks in Johannesburg during the Rugby Championship.
In their opening World Cup game against Argentina, they looked far from polished, but there was a sense of inevitability late in the contest that, once they used their world-class bench, they would pull clear.
The problem now for Steve Hansen's men is that there are no more taxing opponents in their pool to give them any meaningful preparation. After Namibia, the All Blacks play Georgia and Tonga before a quarter-final likely to be against either Ireland or France.
| September 20 | New Zealand 26-16 Argentina |
| August 15 | New Zealand 41-13 Australia |
| August 8 | Australia 27-19 New Zealand |
| July 25 | South Africa 20-27 New Zealand |
| July 17 | New Zealand 39-18 Argentina |
Namibia have at least got into the winning habit this summer with victories over Zimbabwe, Kenya and Russia, but those contests will not have prepared them for the pace and power they will come up against in Stratford.
| August 15 | Namibia 80-6 Zimbabwe |
| August 8 | Namibia 46-13 Kenya |
| July 18 | Namibia 45-5 Russia |
| July 11 | Namibia 39-19 Russia |
| June 21 | Spain 20-3 Namibia |
Players to watch
Sonny Bill Williams
You shudder to wonder what Sonny Bill Williams might do to Namibia. His impact was sizeable off the bench against Argentina, and he now gets the chance to show his coach what he can do from the start.
The former rugby league man can make many a Tier One defence look rank average at times, so it will be a study in ruthlessness to see how often he can shred the Namibian tacklers.
Alongside him he has the fast feet of Malakai Fekitoa, who will profit handsomely from Williams' offloading skills.
Jacques Burger
Amid the diamond miners, bike salesmen, dentists and students who will take the field for Namibia at the Olympic Stadium, their one truly professional star is Jacques Burger.
The Saracens man is well known to English fans as a rampaging, foraging flanker in the black and red of the Fez Heads.
His rugged style will be needed in spades in Stratford to try to unsettle the slick New Zealand machine.
Prediction
New Zealand to stroll to a comfortable victory and rack up a ton.
Odds
New Zealand Evens
Namibia 200/1
Draw 150/1
via Oddschecker
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