Johannesburg - There can be no denying the fact that the Lions team that played in three consecutive Super Rugby finals late in the last decade, and the current squad bear very little resemblance to one another.
Indeed, the players that swept all before them in 2016, ‘17 and ‘18 are long gone, dispersed around the world, leaving the union gutted and in a difficult cycle of constant rebuilding. Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies was the latest of that eminent group of players to leave Johannesburg last year.
It is, therefore, important that the Lions rebuild themselves with what they have, and if they are to become a competitive outfit which once again challenges for championships, then the partnership between scrumhalf Morne van den Berg and flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse must be given priority to develop.
Despite the recent wobble against the Sharks almost a fortnight ago, it has been this burgeoning partnership that has been the fulcrum within the team and which has at least ensured that the United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign is not a complete embarrassment.
Van den Berg and Hendrikse have both been excellent, bringing a sense of agency to the backline and urgency to the team as a whole. It would not be an unfair assessment to declare that since their elevation to the starting team, the Lions have looked a much better outfit.
They are, after all, and along with the No 15 jersey, the core of the backline, according to the Lions’ Ricardo Loubscher.
“If you go back to just before the Sharks game,” said Loubscher on Tuesday, “it was all about just having alignment between Krappie (Van den Berg), Jordan and Quan (Horn) at the back. “That is the spine of our backline ... “In terms of learning, there is still much to do … it is important for them to bring their strengths to the game. We saw with Krappie, we saw with Jordan and Quan in the back, that they do bring a lot of excitement, a lot of energy on attack ...”
Both Van den Berg and Hendrikse recently extended their contracts at the Joburg-based outfit, insisting that the two have bought into the ethos and objectives of the union for the next couple of years at least.
For Lions supporters that should come as some good news. Both the 24-year-old Van den Berg and 20-yearold Hendrikse have still to reach their peak and it is not implausible that they could become a power-couple and match-winning duo in seasons to come.
Of course, as their compact continues to grow, other members of the team will have to accept the new dispensation. That includes No 9 Andre Warner, who in recent weeks has taken a backseat in the matchday 23 to Van den Berg.
Warner has been one of the standout performers for the Lions in extremely challenging times, and although he has lost his starting berth for the moment, the 28-year-old scrumhalf still has an important function to fulfil within the team.
Said Loubscher: “In terms of (Warner), I think there is still a role for him to play.
“We saw against the Sharks, just for him to come on and bring his experience, his leadership, his control of the game. We are fortunate to have those guys in our squad.”
The Lions encounter Connacht in a URC clash on Saturday at Emirates Airline Park (kick-off 4pm), and the clash presents another opportunity for the Van den Berg/Hendrikse axis to increase their understanding.
For surely, if the Lions are serious about their strategy of building their youth players into world beaters, then there is simply no option other than that combination.
The future of “The Pride“as championship material depends on it.
@FreemanZAR