Springbok honours the driving force for Lions players to impress in URC

Following the callup to the Springboks for a number of Lions players over the last few months many more men will be charged up to also get their names in the mix when the fourth edition of the United Rugby Championship (URC) gets under way for the South African teams this weekend.

After the Lions went through the entire previous World Cup cycle, between 2020 and 2023, without any of their players making it into the Bok squad, they have had a sudden influx in the current international campaign, which has inspired the team to push for higher honours.

Lions stars Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe, Quan Horn and Ruan Venter, as well as Jordan Hendrikse, who left in the off season for the Sharks, all made their Bok debuts over the past few months.

Bok chances

The rest of the team thus know that if they can impress in the URC and the Challenge Cup (EPCR), they could find themselves in the Bok setup as well.

“We have spoken about it in the team. There were a few long years that we had no Springboks (from the Lions) and then suddenly we had four or five guys there,” said Lions loose forward Francke Horn.

“So seeing them playing there (for the Boks) and coming back with that knowledge … we have spoken about it … we know that if we as a team perform (well) then the individual player can express himself, and more guys can get called up and hopefully make their Test debuts.

“So that is definitely a big thing that is driving our guys to go forward and play really good rugby to get higher honours.”

URC opener

The Lions open their URC campaign against Ulster at Ellis Park this coming weekend and they will be confident in the squad of players they have, especially their youngsters, after an impressive Currie Cup campaign ended in heartbreak with them falling at the last hurdle last weekend.

“We have got one of the best junior systems in the country. The players that have come through the Currie Cup, particularly the juniors that are still playing in the U21s, they come from good schools and are in a good system here,” explained Lions assistant coach Barend Pieterse.

“A lot of those guys will be involved in the URC and the EPCR going forward. What the Currie Cup has shown us is that we have confidence in those young guys, that they can make the step up.

“There are positions where it will be difficult for them to force there way in, like at prop, where I think you need experience and age at this level. But we are also lucky to have two very good U21 props that I think can make the step up any day.”