Van der Velden to lead the Netherlands

By Harry Scott-Munro
5/11/21

Exeter Chiefs Women’s forward Linde Van der Velden will captain the Netherlands tomorrow as they return to international action in a friendly against neighbours Belgium in Amsterdam.

Playing their first game since February, when they faced a European Championship match against Spain, Head Coach Sylke Haverkorn will be seeing how the side has developed.

Both the Netherlands and Belgium last faced each other in the European Championships in 2018 - and three years on - both sides will have a very different look about them with Belgium only recently restarting their programme at 15s level.

Speaking ahead of the match, Haverkorn was excited to see what her side can produce, admitting that the match will be a learning curve for both sides.

“The game is a great opportunity to see if we can translate the training on the field and a time to see new players play and to try out other positions,” she explained. “In training sessions, there was a big focus on the defensive game, so we hope to see more dominant and fiercer defensive work on Saturday. By playing against Belgium now, it will become clear how we will have to prepare for the Championship matches.”

The focus for the Dutch is on building a strong, new, young squad. There are a number of players selected who have recently made the progression from the U18s side, with five debuts in the extended matchday squad.

After this weekend, the Dutch will then travel to Italy for a training camp in Parma, ahead of a clash with an Italian ‘A’ side, as they continue to develop their young talent into fully fledged internationals.

NETHERLANDS TEAM TO FACE BELGIUM

15. Jordan Heil
14. Noa Donkersloot
13. Bowien Manuhutu
12. Quen Makkinga
11. Lieve Stallmann
10. Renate Jansen
9. Pleuni Klevit
1. Irene Jansen
2. Anouk Veerkamp
3. Brechtje Karst
4. Mhina de Vos
5. Michaja Van Capel
6. Inger Jongerius
7. Judith Frinking
8. Linde van der Velden (capt)

REPLACEMENTS

16. Sydney de Weijer
17. Lynn Koelman
18. Nicky Dix
19. Robin Wubben
20. Liza de Wild
21. Julia Verhoeven
22. Robin Zuiderhoek
23. Esmee Ligtvoet
24. Inge van der Velden
25. Merel de Groot