Coach Swys offloads four Lions to Kings
THE SOUTHERN KINGS open their Pro 14 campaign in a little over two weeks from today... and they’re desperate to get a full squad together.
On Tuesday coach Deon Davids named a squad of 23 players to undergo medical testing, but his group still looks thin. The good news though is the Lions have given them a bit of a boost by making four players available who’re not involved in their Currie Cup campaign.
Bobby de Wee, Victor Sekekete, Jarryd Sage and Jacques Nel have all been made available to the Kings for their Pro 14 campaign, starting on September 2, against the defending champions, the Scarlets.
Word from the Lions is these men are not part of new coach Swys de Bruin’s Currie Cup plans and with no other provincial rugby for them to play in Lions colours it would benefit them and the Kings if they helped Davids’s side be a competitive outfit in the Pro 14. Giant lock JP du Preez may also still be loaned to the Eastern Cape side.
It is uncertain however whether the players set to turn out for the Kings are merely there on loan or have signed longterm deals. Centre Stokkies Hanekom was loaned to the Kings during the Super Rugby competition, but isn’t on the 23-man list they released on Tuesday, and he’s also not involved in the Lions’ Currie Cup activities.
Nel is the biggest name on the list of Lions players training with the Kings. He played a fairly big role as back-up midfielder during this year’s Super Rugby campaign, but is behind Harold Vorster, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Lionel Mapoe and Howard Mnisi in the Lions’ centre queue.
The departure of these players – be it temporarily or permanently – follows hot on the heels of the departure of former coach Johan Ackermann and players Akker van der Merwe and Faf de Klerk.
Ackermann is now at Gloucester, while Van der Merwe has joined the Sharks and De Klerk the Sale Sharks.
Ackermann’s son, Ruan, has also joined his father at Gloucester. The Lions have apparently agreed a transfer fee for him to join his dad and the rest of the Ackermann family in England. On arrival in London last week, Ruan, in an interview, said: “It’s my first time here... I’m very excited to meet the guys, see Gloucester and find out where my home’s going to be.”
Another player the Lions have said goodbye to is promising young loose forward Jano Venter. He has joined the Bulls on a two-year deal.
The Lions are currently in sixth place on the seven-team Currie Cup log having won one of four matches.
Among the other players new coach De Bruin won’t be able to pick for some time are the eight men on duty with the Springboks, namely Andries Coetzee, Courtnall Skosan, Elton Jantjies, Ross Cronje, Jaco Kriel, Franco Mostert, Ruan Dreyer and Malcolm Marx, while Warren Whiteley is injured, and so too Dylan Smith and Julian Redelinghuys. Kwagga Smith is suspended and Ruan Combrinck, Lourens Erasmus and Mapoe are playing club rugby in Japan.