Lions keen to ride wave of positivity after Bok alignment camp — Quan Horn

The Lions are keen to ride the wave of positivity built up from a number of their players taking part in the recent Springbok alignment camp, when they take on Connacht in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash in Galway on Saturday night.

Six Lions players took part in the alignment camp in Cape Town a few weeks ago, indicating that a number of them could be in the Bok frame when the international season gets under way in a few months.

ALSO READ: Lions set for ‘vital’ European tour that could define their season

Lions backline players Quan Horn, Sanele Nohamba, Henco van Wyk, Jordan Hendrikse and Morne van den Berg, along with forward Ruan Venter, were the players who got a taste of Bok rugby and will now be fired up for more.

Over the past four years no current Lions player has played for the Boks, and fullback Horn admitted that has added some excitement to the squad heading into the back end of the URC season.

‘Excitement’

“Over the previous years there were no Lions players, the fact that we now have Lions players identified has created some excitement. We will definitely continue to play the best game possible, so that more players can be identified going forward,” said Horn.

“It was such an honour to be invited to the alignment camp. To be in the presence of such great players was amazing and it motivates me to stay within the setup. Of course, that’s going to require hard work and sacrifice so I am looking forward to what lies ahead.

“It was a privilege to attend the alignment camp with great players with great experience and x-factor. We (Lions players) have definitely learned a few things during the various discussions (at the camp) that we can start implementing.”

With the Lions sitting in 11^th place on the URC log they know how important the Connacht match is in keeping them in touch with the top eight, which they need to finish in to secure a place in the competition playoffs.

Horn admitted that all the players were fully focused on helping the Lions try and finish in the top half of the log, and that they would only be focusing on the national team after that.

“My first priority is to play my best possible game for the Lions to secure our spot in the playoffs. My next goal would be to work towards playing for the green and gold,” explained Horn.