24 years in 140 characters: Finalists four times, match winners no times, the worst team have the best nickname, Weltwitschias, after a weird, splatlike desert plant.
World Cup record:
1987: Not invited
1991: Did not qualify
1995: Did not qualify
1999: Pool Stages
2003: Pool Stages
2007: Pool Stages.
Record in 2011: P3 W1 L2
Coach: Johan Diergaardt
Captain: Jacques Burger
How are they likely to get on? Preparations were hardly helped by the resignation in August of the Namibian union's president, Buks Bok, in protest at a lack of government finding. The squad includes 14 players who were in France four years ago. Namibia played in this year's IRB Nations Cup – a tournament they won in 2010, when Scotland A were among their victims – losing narrowly to Romania and Georgia and beating Portugal. Their coach, Diergaardt, predicts Namibia will make more of an impact this time than in 2003 and 2007 because they have had two years to prepare. "We must not be compared to other Namibian World Cup squads," he said.
Key player: Saracens' Jacques Burger would not be out of place in the South Africa side, a top-drawer flanker who will not be surrounded by players of like quality.
Commentator's kit: Percy Montgomery, the full-back who kicked South Africa to victory over England in the 2007 final, was born in Namibia.
Squad
Jané du Toit, prop, age 35, caps 19
Raoul Larson, prop, age 27, caps 0
Johannes Redelinghuys, prop, age 27, caps 25
Marius Visser, prop, age 29, caps 15
Hugo Horn, hooker, age 34, caps 31
Egbertus O'Callaghan, hooker, age 23, caps 7
Nico Esterhuyse, second-row, age 27, caps 26
Hendrik Franken, second-row, age 24, caps 0
Uakazuwaka Kazombiaze, second-row, age 32, caps 22
Heinz Koll, second-row, age 29, caps 9
Jacques Burger, flanker, age 28, caps 25
Tinus du Plessis, flanker, age 27, caps 26
Rohan Kitshoff, flanker, age 25, caps 5
Renaud van Neel, flanker, age 23, age 23, caps 0
Jacques Nieuwenhuis, No8, age 31, caps 20
Pieter-Jan van Lill, No8, age 27, caps 15
Ryan de la Harpe, scrum-half, age 29, caps 3
Eugene Jantjies, scrum-half, age 24, caps 27
Theuns Kotze, fly-half, age 24, caps 1
Tertius Losper, fly-half, age 25, caps 9
Darryl de la Harpe, centre, age 25, caps 7
David Philander, centre, age 24, caps 9
Danie van Wyk, centre, age 25, caps 3
Piet van Zyl, centre, age 32, caps 14
Heini Bock, wing, age 29, caps 23
Conrad Marais, wing, age 22, caps 2
McGrath van Wyk, wing, age 23, caps 9
Llelwellyn Winkler, wing, age 24, caps 6
Chrysander Botha, full-back, age 23, caps 14
Danie Dames, full-back, age 25, caps 0
Average age 26.7
Average caps 12.4
