Namibia head coach Danie Vermeulen has selected his preliminary 50-man RWC 2015 training squad as the Welwitschias’ opening game against the All Blacks at the Olympic Stadium on 24 September gets ever closer.

With just 514 caps shared between the 50 named players, the Namibian squad is relatively light on experience. Veteran prop Johnnie Redelinghuys has the highest number of caps with 43 and is one of five players to have represented the African nation at two Rugby World Cups. Fellow forwards Nico Esterhuyze, Jacques Burger (pictured) and Thinus du Plessis and scrum-half Eugene Jantjies are the others.

The group is made up of the 27 players currently representing Namibia at the World Rugby Nations Cup in Bucharest as well as a number of UK and South Africa-based players who could not travel to Romania due to commitments with their franchises, provinces and clubs.

Eleven uncapped players have been given an opportunity to impress over the next three months in the build-up to the tournament in England. After their Nations Cup campaign concludes against Spain this weekend, the Welwitschias will play Russia twice on home soil before taking on Zimbabwe and Kenya in the Africa Cup.

At 19 years of age, full-back Divan Rossouw is the youngest member of the squad. Rossouw has been called up by Vermeulen on the back of a strong showing at the World Rugby U20 Trophy where he scored a hat-trick of tries in Namibia’s only win against Hong Kong.

Back-row forward Christo van der Merwe, hooker Louis van der Westhuizen and scrum-half Damian Stevens have also graduated to the senior squad from the under-20s, after helping Namibia to a sixth-place finish in Portugal.

The preliminary training group will assemble in Windhoek early next month to prepare for the two tests against Russia in the Namibian capital on the 11 and 18 July.

Namibia RWC training squad:

Forwards: Johannes Coetzee, AJ de Klerk, Shaun du Preez, Jaco Engels, Rahul Larson, Johnnie Redelinghuys, Casper Viviers, Rathony Becker, Shaun Esterhuysen, Callie Swanepoel, Lous van der Westhuizen, Torsten van Jaarsveld, DG Wiese, Morne Blom, Ulrich Engels, Nico Esterhuyze, Tjiuee Uanivi, Zane Botes, Renaldo Bothma, Jacques Burger, Wian Conradie, Leneve Damans, Thinus du Plessis, Thomsua Forbes, Rohan Kitshoff, Roderique Victor, Christo van der Merwe, PJ van Lill, Janco Venter.

Backs: Arthur Bouwer, Eneil.Buitendag, Eugene Jantjies, Damian Stevens, Ethan Beukes, Theuns Kotze, Shaun Kalzemi, Daniel Arries, Darryl de la Harpe, Johan Deysel, JC Greyling, Heinrich Smit, Danie van Wyk, Tuna Amutenya, Danie Dames, Conrad Marias, David Philander, Russel van Wyk, Chrysander Botha, Divan Roussow, Johan Tromp.