Lions will break into Springbok mix again, says Morne Steyn

Current Lions kicking consultant and former Springbok flyhalf Morne Steyn has backed Lions players to continue impressing in the United Rugby Championship (URC) and force their way into the Bok mix over the coming years.

The Lions didn’t have a single Bok representative during the previous World Cup cycle between their World Cup wins in Japan and France, but saw a number of players make their debuts earlier this year.

Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg, wing Edwill van der Merwe, fullback Quan Horn, loose forward Ruan Venter and flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse, who has since left for the Sharks, all made their Bok debuts in the mid-year internationals, after a top season for the Lions.

Of those five only Hendrikse, as an injury call-up, was selected for the Boks end-of-year-tour, leaving the Lions without a representative again.

Steyn believes the players just have to keep impressing and they will eventually get their chance again, as well as a number of other guys in the Lions group who haven’t played for the Boks yet.

Play for Boks

“Any player in South Africa who plays for the Lions or Bulls or whoever, their main goal is to play for the Springboks, see how many Tests they can play for the Boks and how good they can be for them,” said Steyn.

“So I think a lot of Lions players have now seen that they can play for the Boks. A few of them got their opportunity in the mid-year internationals.

“The guys have been playing some great rugby over the first five games so far this season. So they will all be fired up, even the guys who haven’t had a taste of Bok rugby, will be fired up to maybe be an option for Rassie.”

Steyn however explained that breaking into the Bok system would not be an easy task and that the players would have to kick on from their good start to the season and build on it going forward if they wanted to be in the conversation.

“I think that’s a great thing for Rassie. There are so many quality players to pick from (in SA). It will be difficult to break into the Bok squad,” admitted Steyn.

“Rassie has his World Cup winners that he relies on and if it’s a 50/50 between two players, he will probably go with a guy who has been in the group for the last two or three years and has won a World Cup with him.

“So it is a difficult one for him, but I think there are a lot of guys, in the Lions team and around the country, who will get their opportunity in the years to come.”