Lions centre keen to learn

Exciting young Lions centre Henco van Wyk (below) is happy to have been called up to the first Springbok alignment camp of the season, taking place in Cape Town in early March, but is eager to continue improving his game.

Van Wyk has enjoyed a fantastic start to his fledgling career with the Lions, and at 22-yearsold still has many years of topclass rugby ahead of him.

He is especially looking forward to linking up with some of the Bok stalwarts at the alignment camp, including World Cupwinning outside centres Lukhanyo Am and Jesse Kriel, who he hopes to learn a lot from.

“It is a very big privilege for me (to be picked for the camp). I didn’t expect it, so I am very honoured to be part of that fantastic group,” said Van Wyk.

“I don’t think I am there (highest level) yet. There is always room for improvement so I am going to keep on fighting.

“I am very excited to learn from those guys with that amount of experience (that they have). I will just take in everything that they say and learn as much as I can from them.”

The Boks had already indicated that they were interested in Van Wyk when they selected him as part of the South African A squad that toured the UK in November 2022, where they played against Munster and Bristol, with the Lions centre taking part in the Bristol match.

He admitted that it was a tough tour, with the SA A team losing both games, but said he was happy that he could now have more time to fit in with the Boks.

“I am really looking forward to the camp. I want to get to know the other players and learn from them.”

A big influence on the rise of Van Wyk has been former Bok legend and current Lions defence coach Jaque Fourie, who played in the same position as the young Lions talent.