Skosan out to emulate hero Habana

FROM playing club rugby in Cape Town to getting a Springbok callup, it’s been quite a journey to the top for Lions speedster Courtnall Skosan.

The 25-year-old try collector is one of eight uncapped players in Allister Coetzee’s squad for the three-Test series against France this month.

Skosan has been in wonderful form for Johan Ackermann’s top-performing team, and the eight tries that he’s racked up this season makes him the joint fourth-highest try-scorer going into the Test break. He says that his omission from the first training camp wasn’t at all discouraging.

“I backed the guys who were there and they played great rugby at the time. I’m just happy to be here now,” he said.

As for his call-up to the Bok squad… well, Skosan could only describe it as “amazing”.

“It’s been amazing, just amazing. When I heard my name … the emotion that swept through me was something else,” Skosan, pictured, said.

The Lions star wasn’t high-profile as a junior. He played for Durbell at Under-20 level, where his coach told him he was good enough to play professionally.

And it was in Sevens that Skosan was noticed. He took part in a tournament after which the Bulls came calling.

“I played Currie Cup, after that I made the SA Under-20 team and played a bit of Vodacom Cup. And like they say, the rest is history.

“For me Bryan Habana is a very special player. I used to have posters of him all over my door. He’s always been my hero. So it’s just amazing that you maybe have the opportunity to step into a jersey that has so much value and such a legacy,” Skosan said.

“When the announcement came he sent me a message and said ‘congrats on your call-up, I’m proud of you’. And I told him I couldn’t express what that meant to me.

“I remember a time where I watched all his videos to see what type of tries he scored, and at one stage I even ran like him.” –