Lions on the prowl for ‘Bone Collector’ Alberts
WILL Willem Alberts follow his fellow former Springboks star, Jannie du Plessis, to the Lions’ den?
Alberts is the latest big-name player to pop up on the Lions’ shopping list following confirmation by the franchise on Tuesday that the 37-year-old Test tighthead prop veteran, Du Plessis, had signed on for the 2020 Super Rugby campaign. He had been playing at Montpellier in France since 2015.
At 35, Alberts is also no spring chicken, but if the Lions did manage to sign him from Stade Francais, where he has been playing since 2015, it would be another big coup for the Lions.
Alberts grew up in Johannesburg and knows the Lions well, having played for them in over 50 Super Rugby games before moving to the Sharks in 2010. He also featured for the Boks on 43 occasions between 2010 and 2016.
The Lions have been shorn of loose-forward experience ever since Warwick Tecklenburg retired and Jaco Kriel and Ruan Ackermann moved abroad. Regular No 8 and captain Warren Whiteley is also doubtful for next year’s Super Rugby campaign as he is struggling to shake off a knee injury. Also, the Lions lost James Venter to the Sharks at the end of last season, while Robert Kruger and Kwagga Smith (Japan) are also no longer available for the Lions.
Alberts – affectionately known as the “Bone Collector” because of his hard tackling – has a wealth of experience and can play anywhere in the back row and in the locks. His 120kg, 1.92m frame makes him a very valuable player.
Besides Du Plessis, the Lions have signed tighthead prop Carlu Sadie (Stormers), centre Dan Kriel (Stormers), flank Roelof Smit (Bulls), flank Francke Horn (WP U-21), flyhalf James Mollentze (Free State U-21), wing Duncan Matthews (Bulls) and wing Jamba Ulengo (Free State).
The Lions, under the guidance of new coach Ivan van Rooyen, are in camp in Secunda where they are busy with their pre-season programme. They kick off their 2020 Super Rugby challenge with a match against the Jaguares of Argentina at the end of January.
THE Ladies European Tour (LET) has said it is joining forces with the elite US LPGA Tour as Europe’s struggling women’s golf circuit looks to beef up its schedule and offer more prize-money and opportunities to its players.
The LET schedule has shrunk in recent years and in 2019 comprises only 20 official events, the majority played outside Europe in a range of destinations including Australia, South Africa, India and the Middle East.
While no specific details of how the partnership will play out have been released, a structure is also expected to be set in place for the top players on the LET Order of Merit to advance directly to the final stage of LPGA qualifying school.
LET players voted their support for the joint venture at the Tour’s annual membership meeting in Spain on Tuesday, the Tour said in a media release.
“Two teams, joining for one common purpose, will create opportunities we simply could not have pursued on our own,” said LET board chair Marta Figueras-Dotti.
LPGA commissioner Mike Whan said the partnership with the LET was aimed at creating “the strongest possible women’s tour in Europe”.
“We have experienced incredible growth in women’s golf in the US, and this is an extraordinary opportunity to accelerate and expand the game in Europe as well,” he said.
“I’m excited that this is something we will build together, with the LET.”
The move comes two months after Europe won a thrilling Solheim Cup against the United States in an event that attracted more than 90 000 spectators to Gleneagles, a record for a women’s golf event in Britain.