Rohan Janse van Rensburg says he will be taking nothing for granted ahead of a new Super Rugby season with the Lions, writes CRAIG LEWIS.
The talented 22-year-old was one of the few bright lights on the South African rugby landscape last year, with his consistently impressive performances for the Lions seeing him widely heralded as one of Super Rugby's most influential centres.
Yet, despite playing a leading role as the Lions progressed to the final, he had to wait until the end of year before he was finally rewarded with a deserved call-up to the Springboks, where he made his debut in the season-ending Test against Wales.
That taste of Test rugby has left Janse van Rensburg hungry for more, but his attention has now shifted back to Super Rugby and contributing to his ‘Lions family’, where he says it’s all about starting the new year afresh.
‘I realise that I need to go back to zero and start again,’ he told SA Rugby magazine. ‘Obviously at the Lions, we have set out some goals for this new season, and so for me it’s not about thinking of myself, but rather about the team and what we want to achieve. My motivation last year was not only about playing for the Boks, but trying to contribute to the Lions family, and that’s what I want to focus on again. The rest will hopefully take care of itself.’
And although many observers felt that Janse van Rensburg was one of the glaring omissions from last year’s Rugby Championship squad, the powerful midfielder says his focus simply remained on performing consistently for the Lions.
‘I knew it was a process, and that hopefully my time would come, and that I would need to be ready if it did. There was perhaps a little bit of frustration at times, but I think that’s normal, and so I just tried to stay patient and kept enjoying my time with the Lions.
‘Admittedly, there were a few times last year where I wondered if it [a Bok call-up] was going to happen, but fortunately it did, and I was so humbled by the experience of just being with the Boks, and to get the opportunity to play against Wales.’
Having ended the year as the holder of the Bok No 12 jersey, Janse van Rensburg will now be determined to replicate the same sort of Super Rugby form that is simply too good to ignore.
The Lions are set to kick off their season with a clash against the unpredictable Cheetahs on 25 February, and Janse van Rensburg said it would also be key to start with a clean slate from a team perspective.
‘There is no doubt that opposing teams are going to look even more closely at our style of play and to try and find whatever weaknesses they can, and ways to put us under pressure. So we have to look at bringing something new to our game and to work even harder than last year because I’m sure it’s going to be even more challenging. Our pre-season work has been really intense, and we’ve spent a lot of time on our fitness and conditioning, which has been good.’
This Saturday, the Lions will feature in their first warm-up game, with a young squad having been selected to travel to Harare where they will take on the Bulls.
Photo: Johan Rynners/Gallo Images
