Namibia will compete in next season's Vodacom Cup as they prepare for the 2015 World Cup in England.

The Namibian Rugby Union (NRU) announced on Wednesday that Saru has granted its request to be involved in the 16-team competition that runs from early March to the end of May.

'It is the best thing that could have happened to Namibian rugby in our buildup towards the World Cup,' said NRU president Bradley Basson. 'We have a number of local-based players who are not exposed to high-level rugby and they will benefit from this.'

The final fixture list is yet to be confirmed, but Basson is confident that Namibia will be allowed to play all eight of their home matches in Windhoek.

'The other good thing is that Saru has convinced teams to play all the games against us in Windhoek, so our players, who are all amateurs, can continue to do their jobs, train in the mornings and evenings and be ready for the match over the weekend, it will also save the NRU a lot of expenses and at this stage, we really do have to look at our finances as we will need a lot of resources to prepare for the World Cup.

'It will help with the players' conditioning, they will be exposed to high-intensity rugby and with eight of these matches, they will be much better prepared for the tests we plan in June in the CAR competitions as well as World Rugby's Nations Cup and of course for the World Cup in September.'

Basson said the inclusion of Namibia in the Vodacom Cup was a result of a very strong relationship with Saru.

'They remain our big brother and we are immensely grateful to Saru and the teams who have agreed to travel to Windhoek. We promise them Namibian hospitality at its best.'

The details of which group Namibia will be playing in, and against which teams as well as the final dates will be confirmed by Saru in December.

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