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Preview: Ireland v Namibia

Kees Lensing: Upon his broad shoulders much will rest

The talk of Ireland's jittery form leading up to the World Cup now stops as Brian O'Driscoll leads out his side in the first of two so-called mismatches.

Coach Eddie O'Sullivan will be desperate for the smoothest of smooth passages en route towards the crucial Pool climax against France and Argentina later this month.

Yet it's apparent that the Irish boss desires some fluency from his stars - along with the fact that points difference may become critical - which is why he has selected as close to a full-strength side as possible for their opener against Namibia.

In comes flank David Wallace and captain O'Driscoll - both returning from injury - with only wing Shane Horgan missing out as he continues knee rehabilitation.

Although positioned in arguably the toughest group, the Triple Crown holders have been blessed with a favourable start to the tournament.

First on the Irish agenda are the Africans, the lowest ranked country in the competition, followed by the Georgians.

Four years ago, Namibia found themselves on the receiving end of a World Cup record 142-0 loss to Australia, and more recently a 105-13 drubbing at the expense of neighbours South Africa.

So what can we expect in Bordeaux?

Coached by their former scrum-half Hakkies Husselman, the team ranked 24th in the world are the only African country bar the Springboks to qualify for the tournament three times.
However, they have yet to post a World Cup win.

Therefore, this Sunday evening's contest should be the perfect opportunity for the Irish to hit the ground running.

Or will it?

Namibia will have been quietly dissecting the weaknesses in O'Sullivan's side, something that second row Malcolm O'Kelly brought to light earlier in the week.

And as a former part of South Africa, the Pool minnows will be focusing on the tight exchanges in a desperate attempt to ruffle a few Irish feathers.

The majority of the squad play their rugby at home, but captain Kees Lensing has experienced life at Leeds Tykes, Blue Bulls and Natal Sharks, so will therefore be ready for the challenge.

But all far-fetched eventualities aside, surely Ireland's technical superiority and professional advantages will overpower their winless opponents and set them up nicely for Georgia the following Saturday.

Ones to Watch: BOD's healing power from a fractured sinus has been something not of this planet. And on Sunday evening, barring some sort of miracle upset, the Ireland forwards should put the ball on a silver platter for Stringer and O'Gara, making the rest a formality. It will subsequently be a free-lunch for D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll, with the skipper set to fill his boots as the French sun slowly falls behind the Stade Chaban-Delmas. How will Namibia's centre pairing of Piet van Zyl and Bradley Langenhoven cope?

Head to Head: Often singled out as Ireland's main floor, the scrum will certainly have to be an area where Marcus Horan and John Hayes will need to be on form if they are to challenge their more testing Pool opponents. The latter will have his work cut out in the form of the bulky Kees Lensing. The prop may have been on the fringes of the Springbok squad had he decided against playing for his home country. But his lack of mobility should make the Natal man easy pickings for the Irish.

Recent Results: Believe it or not, Namibia actually hold the upper hand over the Irish with two victories in a tour to forget from an Ireland perspective back in 1991. But normality was restored in 2003, when in a Pool A encounter, O'Sullivan's side demolished their opponents in Sydney.

2003: Ireland won 64-7 at Aussie Stadium, Sydney
1991: Namibia won 26-15 at S.W. Stadium, Windhoek
1991: Namibia won 15-6 at S.W Stadium, Windhoek

Prediction: No upset here! Ireland will be comfortable winners and breeze towards the game against Georgia. Ireland by more than 65 points!

The Teams:

Ireland: 15 Girvan Dempsey, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Brian O'Driscoll, 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Denis Hickie, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Denis Leamy, 7 David Wallace, 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Rory Best, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements: 16 Jerry Flannery, 17 Simon Best, 18 Malcolm O'Kelly, 19 Neil Best, 20 Isaac Boss, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Geordan Murphy.

Namibia: 15 Tertius Losper, 14 Ryan Witbooi, 13 Bratley Langenhoven, 12 Piet van Zyl, 11 Heini Bock, 10 Emile Wessels, 9 Eugene Jantjies, 8 Jacques Burger, 7 Heino Senekal, 6 Jacques Nieuwenhuis, 5 Nico Esterhuize, 4 Wacca Kazombiaze, 3 Jane du Toit, 2 Hugo Horn, 1 Kees Lensing (captain).
Replacements: 16 Johannes Meyer, 17 Johnny Redelinghuys, 18 Michael MacKenzie, 19 Tinus du Plessis, 20 Jurie van Tonder, 21 Lu-Wayne Botes, 22 Melrick Africa.

Date: Sunday, 9 September
Kick-off: 20:00 (19:00 BST)
Venue: Stade Chaban-Delmas, Bordeaux
Weather: Sunny, 27°C, and a light southerly breeze. Perfect!
Referee: Joël Jutge (France)
Touch judges: Malcolm Changleng (Scotland), Federico Cuesta (Argentina)
Television match official: Paul Marks (Australia)
Assessor: Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)

By Adam Kyriacou