Marx: Lions must man up
TOUGH: SUPER RUGBY IS GETTING HARDER AND FASTER
Rudolph Jacobs
The Lions cannot bask in their near glory of the last three years as the Super Rugby competition continues to evolve, hooker Malcolm Marx admits. Marx was again an immense force in the first half of their warm-up clash against the Sharks last weekend and he was expected to be a key component when the Lions opened their campaign against the Jaguares away from home next week.
“We can’t expect last year to get us through this year,” Marx said.
“It’s a new year for everybody. Super Rugby is getting harder and faster every single game and we’ll have to work hard every match.
“It’s always tough to lose quality players like Sous [Franco Mostert], but it’s no use crying over that.
“The show must go on and it allows opportunities for other guys.”
The 24-year-old Marx, who earned 23 Bok caps and 54 Super Rugby caps for the Lions, said they were, nonetheless, hoping to build on their momentum.
“We have always been positive about the game, but I can feel there’s more of a positive buzz out there,” he said.
“Last year was a good year for South African rugby and I believe this year, if we can work together as a country, it could go well.”
Having received three awards at the Lions Player Awards last week, Marx said the accolades meant a lot to him, especially the Players’ Player gong.
“But the other guys also worked extremely hard over the last year, to put it into context, so I want to thank everybody, especially my team-mates and my coaches,” he said.
“I was surprised to have beaten the likes of Aphiwe (Dyantyi) to the award. If I’m honest. I thought he would walk away with it, but it means a lot.”
Marx stressed that the team’s successes were not a result of individual performances but rather a collective effort.
“We all worked hard together. I didn’t do it on my own.
“We have a lot of experienced players in the Lions side ... I can go through the whole team, so many guys were deserving.”