Van Vuuren was the leading wicket-taker for the Namibian cricket team at the World Cup in South Africa in February - the highlight being a five-wicket haul against England. But a 5cm calf tear sustained at training before Namibia's first rugby game against Argentina earlier this month put van Vuuren on the sidelines. Speaking at the team's training session at Youngtown yesterday, van Vuuren said the tear had healed well enough to finally take the field. "I was very disappointed because of all the pressure from people back home (to make history) and it was very frustrating," the well-spoken doctor said. Namibian coach Dave Waterston praised van Vuuren and said "the good kicker and good organiser" could make the difference if the game was tight. Both Namibia and Romania have not won a game during the tournament and van Vuuren said it had been frustrating watching from the sidelines - especially when Australia issued it with a humiliating 142-0 thrashing last week. But the general practitioner from Windhoek, Namibia's capital city, said his side was prepared for a more evenly matched contest in Launceston. Van Vuuren has 13 international caps, three tries and 109 points to his name and was selected for the 1999 rugby World Cup but did not get to play in one match. When van Vuuren is not rolling his arm over on the cricket pitch or converting tries on the rugby field, he works at his own medical practice. More than 20 per cent of Namibia's population aged between 15 and 49 carry the deadly HIV virus or have full-blown AIDS and van Vuuren said that playing sport was his escape. "Everyday I am here I lose a lot of money because (being a doctor) is my living but you can't put the experience of the rugby World Cup into monetary terms."