‘General’ Cronje just the tonic to lift young Kings
AFTER a frustrating ninemonth layoff, flyhalf Lionel Cronje has emerged as the general who can give the Southern Kings a new direction in Super Rugby this season.
A combination of factors kept Cronje, 27, on the sidelines last year, but the re-energised former Sharks pivot showed he is ready to play a leading role.
The cool-headed No 10 delivered an impeccable display with the boot landing three penalties and four conversions when the Kings beat the Sunwolves 37-23 in Singapore.
The Kings will be looking for another dominant showing from Cronje when they host the unbeaten Stormers at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
“I did not play rugby for the last nine months. It was a difficult transition for me getting married, my personal life, along with my dad being very ill for three months of this past last year – it was a very volatile time,” Cronje said when he arrived in Port Elizabeth at the start of the season.
“It was also just difficult to find a club for me with the late release from the Sharks at the end of 2015. So it was a difficult period for me and I took a bit of time away.
“I was fortunate that Kings head coach Deon Davids gave me another opportunity at Super Rugby.”
Davids was full of praise for Cronje after the win in Singapore.
“I have to praise Lionel’s kicking. You need a flyhalf that can take control and understands the flow of the game,” Davids said.
“You also need a flyhalf who can get you to play in the right parts of the field and takes full opportunity to score points with his boot. Lionel stayed cool and kept the players around him calm.”
In the build-up to the season, Davids said he wanted players like Cronje to use their experience to give directions to the youngsters around him.
The Kings paid a heavy price for their win over the Sunwolves when they lost both scrumhalves to injury. First to go was Louis Schreuder and not long afterwards, Rudi van Rooyen also went off injured which left Pieter-Steyn de Wet to fill the gap at the base of the scrum.
The Kings medical staff confirmed yesterday that they would be without Schreuder and lock Mzwanele Zito against the Stormers.
The pair sustained concussions in
In addition, backup scrumhalf Van Rooyen remained in Gauteng on the team’s return from Singapore.
Van Rooyen sustained a suspected dislocation of the ankle after replacing Schreuder on Saturday.
The scrumhalf will be seeing a specialist in Pretoria for a full assessment and diagnosis.
The Kings are expected to name their team to face the Stormers tomorrow.
Yesterday the Kings announced the signing of lock Wilhelm van der Sluys on a loan agreement from English Aviva Premiership side Worcester Warriors.
The arrival of Van der Sluys is timely, following a recent spate of injuries in the lock department for the Eastern Cape side.
“We are happy to have Wilhelm van der Sluys joining us this season,” Kings head coach Davids said.
The Kings have also been boosted, on a trial basis, by Lions centre Stokkies Hanekom. The 27-year-old is undergoing a medical assessment at the Kings before a loan agreement is reached. Singapore.