The Emirates Lions may be staring down the barrel of another Vodacom United Rugby Championship early exit, but one thing is abundantly clear - if they can’t hold onto their talent over the next few seasons, the trend will never change for them.
While the Lions have made some adjustments and kept the likes of Quan Horn and Henco van Wyk at Ellis Park, their mediocre results have counted against them for ambitious players looking for trophies.
The Lions don’t have the same player budget as the Vodacom Bulls or Hollywoodbets Sharks, for instance, and have based the entire coaching career of Ivan van Rooyen on building from the bottom up.
The junior system that was implemented by Bart Schoeman, who left the union a few years ago, continues to supply them with some great young talent, but it is precisely where this young talent needs to learn from experience that they are struggling.
RISING STARS TARGETED
The Lions don’t lose more players than other unions and in a dynamic professional environment it will always be very difficult to keep every player that you want to hold onto, but something at Ellis Park allows their bigger name players to walk away with ease to competitive local unions.
Some may be personal differences with the coaching staff and others may look for greener pastures, but it is hard not to argue that they have lost significant players at crucial times over the past few seasons that, had they stayed, would have helped build a significant side to go into the URC.
Interestingly looking back the trend has been in every season, and while the Lions lose a few key players, they sign young players to replace them, who while talented, don’t have the same impact as those leaving did.
Consider back in the 2021/22 season they lost the influential Hacjivah Dayimani to the Stormers - where he went on to win a URC title. That season they also lost the experience of Courtnal Skosan, Springbok and veteran of the three Super Rugby finals, to Northampton Saints.
Nathan McBeth was deemed to be surplus to the needs of the team and is now in the Scotland squad, while others who were good team players - like Dan Kriel and Dillon Smit - left for the USA. Ross Cronje also retired that season.
CAPTAIN LEAVES FOR WASPS
The next year, in 2022/3 they were hit hard by some big names leaving - their captain Burger Odendaal went to Wasps and is now at Northampton. Vincent Tshituka left for the Sharks along with tighthead prop Carlu Sadie. Wandisile Simelane had a move to the Bulls, and eventually ended up at the Stormers.
The 2023/4 season was another where key players were lost. Jaco Kriel left a big hole with his retirement, while Andre Warner’s move to Agen, and Sti Sithole moving to the Stormers also hit their depth but for the most part the team remained together.
It was more last season when Willem Alberts retired, Jordan Hendrikse went to join his brother at the Sharks and Emmanuel Tshituka followed his brother down the N3 that the trend seemed to gain traction.
The fall-out with the coaching staff also cost them the URC Player of the season, Sanele Nohamba, who has been vocal about how he left since moving to Japan.
At the end of this season the Lions lose another captain in Marius Louw, who will join Sale Sharks and their star top-tryscorer and Springbok Edwill van der Merwe who goes to the Sharks in Durban as well.
What is clear that if the Lions don’t get to keep some of these players, they will forever be struggling and not be able to build a team that can take on the big guns in the competition.
TAKES TIME TO DEVELOP PLAYERS
Younger, talented players can come through the ranks but it takes time to settle, and the Lions have provided the likes of Horn, Van Wyk and Morne van den Berg to the national setup with a few more likely to become Boks in the near future.
That elevation may make them targets again of other teams, and it wasn’t a surprise to see assistant coach Jaque Fourie say the team desperately needs to keep their players if they are to build a winning squad in future.
“We have to try to keep our talent here and ensure that all the players in the group improve,” Fourie told Netwerk24.
“It was difficult to lose experienced senior men like Willem Alberts and Jaco Kriel in the past few seasons. The Lions are going to have to retain the right group of players for the next few seasons, to some extent, as happened in 2013.”
“There are a few young players like Renzo du Plessis who have come to the fore this season. Hopefully we can produce a few more Springboks in the next two, three seasons.”
That won’t be easy, as bigger sides will come hunting their players. But that is their task if they want to move forward as a squad. Fourie referenced 2013, the start of the Johan Ackermann era that led to three consecutive Super Rugby final appearances.
Those days feel very far away at the moment, but if the Lions can get it right to keep their players and match them with top class coaching, they could get there.
And Joburg will once again then know what a winning season feels like.