Bolstered by a new wave of optimism from their new Springboks, the Lions believe that they can not only break into the Vodacom URC playoffs, but seal a home semi-final. DYLAN JACK reports.
Ivan van Rooyen was straightforward when asked about what the ultimate goal would be for the Lions in the upcoming season, during a Vodacom URC Media Round Table.
“A home semi-final, we will take that,” Van Rooyen answered.
“I think we’ve seen the last couple of seasons, even though two away teams have won it, if you are at home, you feel you can be at your best there.
“We are going to be bold and brave this season. We feel we are in a place where we can really start kicking on. So yeah, we want top four.”
The Lions have endured a couple of near-misses over the last couple of seasons, being denied by a solitary win from securing a first-ever place in the Vodacom URC playoffs in 2023-24.
During the off-season, the Johannesburg-based side has seen Edwill van der Merwe, Ruan Venter, Quan Horn and Morne van den Berg make their Test debuts for the Springboks.
The quartet are the first Springbok debutants to have come through at the Lions since Aphiwe Dyantyi burst onto the scene in 2018.
Van Rooyen says that this has added a new sense of belief at the Lions, that individual form will be rewarded with a green and gold jersey.
“Belief in the squad is massive, feeling how proud they are, but also training with them every day, seeing that if he can become a Bok then I can maybe also.
“The chat in the group is not just how proud they are, but also that energy of anything is possible now. We went on a little bit of a run between 2013 and 2015 at the Lions, going from one or two Boks to about 16. It will be nice if we can get there again.”
Van Rooyen added that having a squad that’s on relatively the same level of experience will be key to the Lions turning their previous inconsistencies around.
“Experience plays a role there. 60% of our squad has got between 40 and 60 caps. They are all around 23 or 24 years old, so there’s a nice bit of maturity that’s happening there for us,” Van Rooyen explained.
“I also think we’ve got a more athletic squad this year. We can turn up physically but also with intensity and repeated efforts. We are excited about that.
“We had more consistency last season. We missed out by one win, but we had seven losing bonus points. If we can turn those into wins, especially at home against the South African teams, then definitely.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
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