Young Lion Bocks is constantly learning
TYLER Bocks might not yet be a household name among everyday rugby enthusiasts but that won’t matter to the 21-year-old. After all, he has time on his side.
The young Lions player made his senior debut as a professional earlier this year against Western Province in the Currie Cup, and has since played five more games for the team in that tournament, racking up 225 minutes of game time.
The days as a senior rugby player are young then, and the road long.
Nevertheless, there should be a measure of excitement around the former Junior Springbok as he begins his rugby career in earnest.
“There is lots to learn,” said Bocks in an interview with Independent Media.
“We talk about the perfect player and we try to be that perfect player by making no mistakes, not that such a thing exists ... The most that I have learnt from this Currie Cup is that the step up that you have to make from junior rugby to professional rugby is huge. Everyone is on the same level, and it only depends on who works harder at the end of the day.
“I’m still learning – you're never good enough to not learn. It is about being able to know what to do at the right time, where to be on the field – stuff like that ... I am learning constantly every day.”
As a new player in the fold, Bocks still has a long way to go, and he is using his time wisely by soaking up the wisdom and knowledge of those around him at the Lions’ Doornfontein base.
“We train as a whole group, so you learn every day from the more experienced players in the camp, like Burger (Odendaal),” said Bocks.
“He is a very good player and very experienced. The way he communicates and understands the game; I have learnt a lot from him. Manuel Rass also, as well as a good friend of mine (former Junior Bok and Lions teammate) Henco van Wyk.
“So ja, we all try to help each
other in our own ways. Some guy is maybe blessed with something else that you don’t have, so you feed from him. For me, just seeing how professional they are and what you need to do to become a professional is great.”
Bocks also revealed the player that has helped him the most with transitioning from the junior ranks to senior rugby, saying: “Ex-player Gianni Lombard (who now plays in
Japan) – I learnt a lot from him and I am very close to him.
"He is the one who took me under his wing when I came to the Lions, and he helped me a lot with how I needed to fit into certain structures.”
With captain Odendaal leaving the union at the end of the season to play for Wasps, there is a gap developing for Bocks, who states emphatically that his position is inside centre, to find himself in the selection mix much more often when the next season kicks off in a few months’ time.
That includes possibly playing in the United Rugby Championship; the second-tier European Rugby Challenge Cup – which the Lions will be participating in, having missed qualification for the Champions Cup; and most certainly the Currie Cup, if he stays fit.
Speaking of the Currie Cup, the winless but improving Lions will be in action this weekend in the transJukskei derby when they travel to the table-topping Blue Bulls on Saturday (5pm kickoff).*