Wanderers includes Deysel in match squad

Rugby
Andrew Poolman
  • 1 Year Ago 05 April 2024
After more than a decade as a professional rugby player, Johan Deysel is finally set to play his first match for a Namibian club, after being included on the bench for FNB Wanderers for Saturday’s home match against FNB Western Suburbs.

The highly respected 32-year-old veteran of three World Cup – and captain of Namibia at Japan 2019 and France 2023 – has recently moved back from France to the city of his birth with his young family.

The former Windhoek High School centre and Craven Week representative (2008 and 2009) made inroads at North West University when he eventually led their Varsity Cup team to the 2016 trophy.

Deysel had a stint playing Super Rugby for the Sharks in 2017-2018, before heading to France where he was contracted at ProD2 club Colomiers from 2018 to the end of 2023.

The 37-Test international’s much-publicized head collision with France captain Antoine Dupont in their October 2023 World Cup match in Marseilles led to a six-match ban, reduced to five matches on condition that he submits acceptable video proof to World Rugby of a head-on tackle technique adaptation.

On Friday, Wanderers managed to confirm clearance for Deysel to be included on their bench, in a match where scrumhalf Jacques Theron (their captain in the first two rounds of the current Namibia Rugby Union premier league season) will be absent due to a trip abroad.

Theron’s role as captain will be taken over by fly-half Andre van der Berg, who was immediately influential on his return from injury two weekends ago in Wanderers’ 35-25 home win against FNB Kudus.

The team lists for the premier league (kick-off at Wanderers, 15:45):

FNB WESTERN SUBURBS

1 Marshal Gariseb

2 Jonathan Goliath

3 Elliot Lombardt

4 James Kisting

5 Uvatera Kaverua

6 Dhale Cloete

7 Howard Gawanab

8 Tjingairi Katjivi

9 Daniel September

10 Nushan Neels

11 Erich Shivute

12 Deveroux Jansen (captain)

13 Jayden Links

14 Dumarcho Hartung

15 Johannes Namene

Bench: 16 Jean-Pierre Jafta, 17 Fidel Micolleney, 18 Revano Jahs, 19 Sebastian Kameya, 20 Zachary Eiman, 21 Tuapeua Angula, 22 Ethan Beukes.

FNB WANDERERS

1 Herschell van Wyk

2 Obert Nortje

3 Ignus Tripodi

4 Brendan Nortje

5 Erik Strauss

6 Darius von Solms

7 Prince !Gaoseb

8 Peter Diergaardt

9 Reben Botha

10 André van der Berg (captain)

11 Tolley Tjipute

12 Natie Janse van Rensburg

13 Romario van Wyk

14 Nandivatu Karuuombe

15 Geraldo Beukes

Bench: 16 Jurgen-Leigh Human, 17 Driaan Vorster, 18 Rainer Augustyn, 19 Sheron Rossouw, 20 Ryan Coetzee, 21 Bredell Wessels, 22 Johan Deysel.