Mostert is still raring to play
HAND OVER: ALSO HAPPY TO GIVE CAPTAINCY REINS BACK
‘Awesome to come back to the Lions, to reunite with your regular friends...’
Lions lock and regular Springbok starter Franco Mostert is such a workhorse that he doesn’t want a rest from rugby and maintains he doesn’t need one either.
Although involved in the tough recently completed England series, Mostert wants to jump straight into Super Rugby this weekend against the Sharks in Durban.
“What helped a lot was the first week against Wales where a few of our guys didn’t go over, we rested that weekend,” he said.
“But in regard to the England Tests behind us, we also have the bye next week. So I don’t think we’ll get a rest this weekend because we only have two games left and we have to go full out. We need the log points.
“It’s always awesome to come back to the Lions, to reunite with your regular friends. Only when you are there do you realise how much you missed them.”
Mostert said it’s almost the final straight of Super Rugby, stressing it makes everything so exciting.
“I definitely don’t mind giving the captaincy back to Warren (Whiteley), then I can focus again on my own job. He is a great leader and an awesome guy. He brings that calmness to the side.
“I learned a lot as captain and in the first week I thought coach Swys (de Bruin) didn’t know what he was doing [appointing me], but the guys made it easy for me.”
Mostert admitted last year they stumbled at the final hurdle but said “the guys are really excited to pull it off over these last few weeks”.
He continued: “We need to get the Sharks game in the bag but they have a wonderful bunch of players and they were very physical the last time we played them.”
He added he is looking forward to clash with a few of his Bok team-mates this weekend.
“It’s the nice part of rugby, you are enemies on the pitch, but once you are off it it’s a great friendship, greet each other and look each other in the eye.”
Mostert said it was only the second time he had played England; the first was at Twickenham last year.
“So it was physical but in the last Test they brought it a bit more. We wanted the series more, though we slipped in the last one.”