Orie opts out of Lions, eyeing move to Europe or WP?

Fiery Springbok lock Marvin Orie’s stay at the Lions has come to an end.

The 27-year-old forward has decided to leave the union, but the Lions said on Tuesday that while they wish him well in his feature plans, they are in the dark about where he is heading or what his immediate future looks like.

“Marvin opted to not renew his contract,” said a spokesperson for the Lions.

“We unfortunately have no further details about his plans going forward,” the spokesperson added.

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Orie has played three Tests for the Boks since 2018 and is believed to still be in the plans of national coach Jacques Nienaber.

Orie joined the Lions from the Bulls four years ago where he played 35 matches for the Blue Bulls in the Currie Cup and also featured in 10 Super Rugby matches.

Since 2017 Orie featured in 43 Super Rugby matches for the Lions and also played in 38 Currie Cup games for the union.

Orie, regarded as one of the best lineout jumpers around, formed a formidable second row partnership with Willem Alberts in the recently concluded Currie Cup competition.

Apart from Alberts the Lions still have quality lock depth available in the form of Ruben Schoeman and Reinhardt Nothnagel.

Orie, who formed part of the SA U20 squad in 2012, had a stint overseas in 2019 with Ospreys where he played seven games. He has now again been linked with Ospreys, but is believed to also be in the sights of Western Province.

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