The penultimate week in the group stages of the 2023 Rugby World Cup will get underway, with Uruguay taking on Namibia at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon on Wednesday evening.
Both these sides came into the competition as the underdogs in Pool A of this World Cup and having failed to win a game yet, it is clear that neither will make it past the group stages this year.
Match preview
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While they have not managed a win yet, Uruguay have gained the respect of many in this competition owing to their impressive performances, particularly against France when they lost 27-12 but were right in the contest for the majority of the match.
In the last match, Uruguay secured a 10-point halftime lead, capitalising on Italy's two yellow cards in a remarkable first half, but they could not maintain their advantage, allowing Italy to stage a comeback and ultimately win 38-17 with a dominant second-half performance.
Los Teros will now look to regain their momentum when they face Namibia on Wednesday and will be full of confidence going into the fixture, having won three of their last four encounters against the Welwitschias, including a 26-18 triumph in a friendly just last month.
Uruguay made clear that their main targets in this competition were Italy and Namibia, and having squandered a golden opportunity last week, they will be doubly determined to make it count in this one.
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Namibia endured yet another lopsided defeat last Saturday in Pool A, with a crushing 96-0 loss to France, taking their average losing margin to 69.3 points in their three group matches in the tournament.
So far, not only have the Welwitschias conceded 219 points and 32 tries, but they have also faced challenges in scoring, managing only 11 points and a solitary try across those three matches.
Allister Coetzee would have had this down as his side's best chase to claim a win in this pool, and he fielded a relatively young team last week against France, preserving his full-strength side for this fixture.
This also marks Namibia's last game in the competition, and they are expected to treat this as their own final as they look to secure their first-ever World Cup victory.
Uruguay Rugby World Cup form:
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Namibia Rugby World Cup form:
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Namibia form (all competitions):
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Team News
Coach Esteban Meneses has opted for four alterations in his starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against Namibia following their loss to Italy.
The changes include the addition of prop Diego Arbelo and number eight Carlos Deus in place of Ignacio Peculo and Manuel Diana.
Bautista Basso takes over from Gaston Mieres on the right wing, and Felipe Arcos Perez will make his World Cup debut at centre, replacing Tomas Inciarte.
Captain Johan Deysel will miss this match after receiving a red card for a head clash with Antoine Dupont that resulted in a facial fracture for the French scrum-half.
After their heavy defeat against France, Coetzee has implemented eight changes to his lineup, including the likes of Alcino Izaacs, Tiaan Swanepoel, Damian Stevens and Richard Hardwick.
In addition, Cliven Loubser will shift from flyhalf number 15, and Prince Gaoseb will move from number eight to the flanker position.
Uruguay starting lineup: 15. Baltazar Amaya, 14. Bautista Basso, 13. Felipe Arcos Perez, 12. Andres Vilaseca, 11. Nicolas Freitas, 10. Felipe Etcheverry, 9. Santiago Arata, 8. Carlos Deus, 7. Santiago Civetta, 6. Manuel Ardao, 5. Manuel Leindekar, 4. Felipe Aliaga, 3. Diego Arbelo, 2. German Kessler, 1. Mateo Sanguinetti
Replacements: 16. Guillermo Pujadas, 17. Facundo Gattas, 18. Reinaldo Piussi, 19. Juan Manuel Rodriguez, 20. Eric Dosantos, 21. Agustin Ormaechea, 22. Felipe Berchesi, 23. Juan Manuel Alonso
Namibia starting lineup: 15. Cliven Loubser, 14. Gerswin Mouton, 13. Alcino Izaacs, 12. Danco Burger, 11. JC Greyling, 10. Tiaan Swanepoel, 9. Damian Stevens, 8. Richard Hardwick, 7. Tjiuee Uanivi, 6. Prince Gaoseb, 5. Tiaan De Klerk, 4. Adriaan Ludick, 3. Johan Coetzee, 2. Torsten Van Jaarsveld, 1. Jason Benade
Replacements: 16. Louis van der Westhuizen, 17. Desiderius Sethie, 18. Haitembu Shifuka, 19. PJ Van Lill, 20. Max Katjijeko, 21. Adriaan Booysen, 22. Jacques Theron, 23. Andre van der Bergh
Head To Head
Uruguay and Namibia have met on five previous occasions, and Los Teros have won four times while Nambia have won just once.
We say: Uruguay 28-19 Namibia
Uruguay have come a long way over the last four years, and based on their earlier performances in this competition, they should claim the win here. This is Namibia's last game in the competition, and we expect a whole-hearted performance from them, but we feel they will have to wait a while longer for their first-ever World Cup victory.
No Data Analysis info
Devesh Jaganath
