WINDHOEK, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Namibia's Rugby Union announced the 23-man squad that will face Uganda's Cranes in the first match of the 2018 Rugby Africa Gold Cup here on Friday.

Namibia rugby coach Phil Davies selected Johan Deysel as captain. Deysel will lead Namibia in their quest to qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.

The union said that the team will also feature veteran player Chrysander Botha, who will earn his 50th test cap for the Namibian team, while Andre Rademeyer will have his first appearance as an national rugby player.

The 2018 edition of the Rugby Africa Gold Cup will be played by the national teams of Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Morocco, Zimbabwe and Tunisia. The competition will be played in a league format with 15 home or away matches between June 16-August 18.

The event will serve as the preliminaries of the Rugby World Cup 2019.

The full Namibian squad to face Uganda is as follows:

Johan Deysel (captain), Casper Viviers, Obert Nortje, Johannes Aranos Coetzee, Ruan Ludick, Tjiuee Uanivi, Wian Conradie, Janco Venter, Pieter-Jan van Lill, Eugene Jantjies, Cliven Loubser, JC Greyling, Darryl de la Harpe, Leslie Klim, Chrysander Botha, Louis van der Westhuizen, Desiderius Sethie, Johan Retief, Rohan Kitshoff, Damian Stevens, PW Steenkamp, Justin Newman and Andre Rademeyer.