Kade Wolhuter impresses Lions coach in first hit-out in over a year

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen was pleased with the performance of flyhalf Kade Wolhuter in Thursday’s 57-17 win over the Junior Springboks at Ellis Park.

After falling down the pecking order at the Stormers and suffering long-term injuries that have hindered his progress, Wolhuter joined the Lions in the off-season on loan in search of game time.

However, he is yet to hit the ground running at the Johannesburg-based side as injuries have continued to trouble him.

At 22, Wolhuter still has a lot to offer, and he could be a player the Lions will look to keep in their system and slot him in the space that will be vacated by Jordan Hendrikse, who will join the Sharks next season.

First game in over a year

In a game where the Lions scored nine tries and had many players returning from injury, Wolhuter stood out in his first outing in months. His display against the Springboks’ U20s left Van Rooyen encouraged.

“It was Kade’s first game in 15 or 17 months, and to get a good 60 minutes out of him was good,” said Van Rooyen.

“You could see he hasn’t played in a while but he has been training well in the last two to three weeks.

“It was awesome to give 60 to 80 minutes to players in an opportunity for guys that are coming back from injuries or niggles,” he said.

Playing for a ticket to Europe

Van Rooyen said that the match allowed players the opportunity to play for remaining spots in the squad that will be going on the United Rugby Championship European tour, where they play Connacht on March 23 and Ospreys the following weekend. They conclude their tour with a Challenge Cup last-16 tie in April against Benetton.

“It’s not just good for the squad and everyone to play, there’s a couple of touring spots open. It’s important in that case, getting guys through games and playing for the one or two or three open spots. And also a little bit of squad management for the last two weeks of the tour and coming back,” Van Rooyen said.