Skosan enjoys mentoring role
OLD HAND: FIRE STILL BURNS IN LIONS WINGER’S BELLY
With the fire still burning in his belly, experienced Lions wing Courtnall Skosan is first to put up his hand in the leadership and mentoring stakes.
The 28-year-old Skosan has remained one of a few stars who have stayed anchored at the Joburg-based union after the big exit which followed the glory years between 2016 and 2018.
“Being at the Lions for this long is an honour, it’s a special thing for me but I feel like it doesn’t change anything for me,” said Skosan.
“In that sense I still have that hunger and that excitement to get going and get on to the field and do the stuff that I love the most,” he said.
Having made the move from the Bulls in 2013, Skosan has amassed 107 caps, with 77 in Super Rugby and 30 in the Currie Cup, scoring a total of 52 tries, 35 in Super Rugby and 17 in Currie Cup.
“With my role as a senior player that comes naturally as you go along, it’s not about making a job out of it, I think it’s easier by just being yourself,” said Skosan, who played 12 Tests for the Springboks in 2017.
“I’m naturally somebody that likes to learn from people, but also love to share knowledge so it makes it a bit easier in our environment to step into a role like that,” he said.
Skosan said if it’s a role he has to fulfill, it will be quite natural and fitting to step into something like that.
“Any young guy coming can learn a lot but they can also teach me a lot as well because there’s always something you can learn,” he added.
“That’s the nice thing about being at the Lions, we are all spunging from each other and learning and growing so that we can achieve our common goal, he said.
Skosan, Andries Coetzee, Elton Jantjies, Ross Cronje, Dylan Smith and the returning Jaco Kriel and Ruan Dreyer remain survivors of the 2016-18 era, while Julian Redelinghuys and Warren Whiteley now form part of the coaching team.