These bookies back Namibia

By SCOTT MacLEOD

The most vexing question for every All Blacks fan is which team to support between their heroes' games at the rugby world cup.

For Opotiki College graduate Delwyn Abbot the choice was obvious - go Namibia!

Inspired by the rugby minnow's hair-breadth qualification, and enthused by the A$15 ($17) tickets for the game with Argentina, Ms Abbot rallied 56 fellow librarians to form a Namibian cheerleading squad.

Delwyn now works at the Lake MacQuarie City Library and on October 14 the library folk will board a bus and head to the Gosford venue, one hour north of Sydney.

The librarians will have bongos. They are learning the anthem.

They will have funny-coloured clothes. And if the team hasn't got a dance to rival the haka they will make one up.

"Most of us had never heard of Namibia and we had to get the atlas out," said Ms Abbot, 46.

"But that's easy in a library."

It was unclear yesterday how the Namibian players would react to 56 screaming librarians wearing their national colours at a remote Australian rugby ground.

Ms Abbot said she thought the Namibian game would be "wonderful" and said the librarians would take a Namibian flag to collect the players' signatures.

Support for the world's 20th-ranked team is not confined to Ms Abbot. About 20,000 tickets for Namibia's clash with Romania at Launceston on October 30 are also selling fast.

Launceston locals decided to support Namibia if their birthdates fell on even numbers.

Odd-dated folks would support Romania.

Namibia has just 16 clubs and 540 senior players, and needed better than a seven-point loss to Tunisia to make the cup.

Despite having eggs and tomatoes tossed at their bus, their rooms visited by prostitutes the night before the game and being attacked with slingshots during the game, they managed to lose by exactly seven points. They qualified because they had scored an extra try during their qualifying games. The team then needed to get a loan and Government help to pay for the trip.

Four players left the team after a falling-out with New Zealand-born coach Dave Waterston.

Namibia will face three of the world's top seven teams at the cup.

Go Namibia!

Pool A clashes

October 14, vs Argentina, Gosford

October 19, vs Ireland, Sydney

October 25, vs Australia, Adelaide

October 30, vs Romania, Launceston

Quarterfinal (if qualified) November 8 or 9, Brisbane or Melbourne

Semifinal (if qualified) November 15 or 16, Sydney

Final (if qualified) November 22, Sydney

Full World Cup coverage