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Cape Town - Popular South African staple figures will be joined by a galaxy of stars from wide-ranging parts of the planet in SuperSport’s round-the-clock coverage of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.
Revealing their plans this week, the organisation confirmed that they would be making specific use of such respected, cosmopolitan Test-player personalities as Jeremy Guscott (England), Nehe Milner-Skudder and Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand), Scott Spedding (France) and Namibian iron-man Jacques Burger for their coverage.
That Spedding is South African-born and played for the Sharks before switching allegiance to France several years ago - he has earned 23 caps at fullback for that country, including one in Durban in 2017 - makes him an ideal “cross-over” character for SuperSport’s RWC purposes.
Much the same applies to another recruit John Plumtree, the popular Hurricanes coach in Super Rugby who, although NZ-born, is still well remembered for his days as both player and coach at the Durban-based Sharks, a period embracing some 24 years between 1988 and 2012.
He should provide agreeably impartial, sound bilateral insight into the massive date on day two of the tournament - September 21 - when champions the All Blacks lock horns with the Boks in a pool tussle at Yokohama.
Meanwhile 28-year-old fullback/wing maestro Milner-Skudder, now Toulon-based, is a very recent All Black, sporting 13 caps, including starting presence in three against the Boks - starting with the tense semi-final of the last World Cup at Twickenham, but also including the record 57-0 hammering achieved by NZ at North Shore in 2017, where he dotted twice in the rout.
Fijian-born ace wing finisher Rokocoko, now 36, and having wound down his illustrious career with Racing Metro in France, also had plenty of exposure to the old enemy from across the Indian Ocean in a glittering 68-cap Test career for the All Blacks between 2003 and 2010.
That tally included 15 appearances against South Africa, with nine of them wins and nine personal tries along the way.
Long-time Saracens stalwart flanker Burger, renowned as a hard-as-nails gladiator and now retired to his beloved Namib desert, will provide unique insights for the pool clash between the Boks and their African neighbours on September 28.
Having also played here for Griquas and the Bulls in his younger days, the 80-cap Namibian international represented his minnow country in three World Cups between 2007 and 2015.
Guscott is a debonair, legendary England midfielder (73 Tests, 1989-99) who has been a long-time friend of South African rugby ... despite being a famous breaker of Bok hearts on the 1997 British and Irish Lions tour when he banged over a late dropped goal to clinch the series for the visitors in Durban.
Those overseas personalities will team up for SuperSport over the coming weeks with traditional local figures like John Smit, the RWC 2007-victorious captain, Nick Mallett and the Ndungane twins, Odwa and Akona.
But SuperSport have also made room for Schalk Burger, another decorated, charismatic Bok with 86 caps who is back in the country - and probably, but not officially yet retired - after a twilight period with Sarries in the English Premiership, and Deon Davids, the 51-year-old former head coach of the Southern Kings.
SuperSport will turn SS1 (channel 201) into a 24-hour channel for the duration of the World Cup, and screen all 48 tournament fixtures live.
For Springbok matches, there will be four language offerings: dual English ones (the SA feed and global one), isiXhosa and Afrikaans.
There will be also be a plethora of chat shows, technical discussion programmes and lifestyle/travel-geared and offbeat features from Japan during the course of RWC.
*Follow our chief writer on Twitter: @RobHouwing
