What would you give up to play for the Springboks? In Morne van den Berg’s case, the chance of becoming a Currie Cup champion. The diminutive Van den Berg - nicknamed “krappies” by his teammates, has now missed not one, but two Currie Cup finals because he is training with the Springboks.
And in Van den Berg’s case, it wasn’t even because he was starting in tests, but rather part of the wider training squad. The blond halfback gets his chance off the bench this weekend for the national side, having missed out as plans changed over the season.
It wasn’t a surprise that when he sat next to coach Rassie Erasmus on Tuesday for the team announcement, he was rather quiet and withdrawn, but then again a team announcement tends to focus all the attention on the head coach anyway.
SACRIFICE
Still, Erasmus turned to Van den Berg and reminded everyone how he had given up the Currie Cup title dream to be with the Boks.
“Sometimes people don’t know what players give up. I know it's not something to give up, because it is a privilege to play for the Springboks,” Erasmus said.
“But nobody knows that last year he couldn’t play in the Currie Cup final because he was training with us. And this season he couldn’t play again because he was training with us.
“He has three caps with us now, but the Lions lost in the last minute last year and they lost in the last minute this year. He wasn’t there because he is in camp with us now. So sometimes it is worth the wait, and he is probably one of the guys in the team that has been waiting a really long time.
“He has practised hard, and I think people will remember he hasn’t played a lot, and he has really missed out on a few big things, just waiting for this opportunity, so we are very glad for him.”
RELISHING THE OPPORTUNITY
The halfback was all smiles when asked about the chance to run on for another cap, and as one of the fringe players, is relishing the opportunity.
“Yeah, yes, for me, it's firstly, it gives a lot of confidence if the coaches back you. I believe I've been given everything to be the best player in the world, and if so, then who am I to doubt myself? So it's a huge motivator, it gives me a lot of confidence just to go out there and be myself on Saturday.”
Erasmus has always said that the plans are explained to the players but if things go wrong, plans may have to change. This year some of those things have gone wrong, and Erasmus has been forced to change his plans. And that has meant that some of the fringe players have not gotten the chances they would have hoped to get. Van den Berg is one of those players, but you wouldn’t say it bothers him if you hear him speak.
“Yeah, I think for me, it's an absolute privilege to be here and to serve the Springboks. Every week is a new week, and I need to do what's required of me. I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. And at the end of the day, the worst case scenario is you're training against the Springboks the whole week, which can only make you a better player,” Van den Berg said.
SERVING THE SPRINGBOKS
“And then you really try to make the Springboks better. There may have been one or two things that went against me, or were unlucky. I don't know what you call it, but for me, it's serving the Springboks.”
Van den Berg is certainly relishing his time with the Boks, so much so that the rivalry at halfback is something special at the moment.
“It's been amazing. All three of them that's in the camp at the moment, it's been amazing over the last two years. Faf (de Klerk) and Cobus (Reinach) are two-time World Cup winners, Lions series winners and Grant (Williams) is a World Cup winner, and everybody has so much inside them.
“The nice thing is they're willing to share and also buy into making me better. So I'm trying to be a sponge, learn from them, but also just to add myself. To be myself and to add to the team what I can add.”
Back to the Currie Cup, and it is clear that it is an emotional question for Van den Berg, as he watched his teammates heartbreak at losing twice in the dying minutes.
“My heart breaks for the Lions. As a player, you wish you could have added, but the boys that played, they had the chance to put on their jersey. Like I say, all I can say is my heart breaks for the Lions. The boys just have got to stand up.”
On Saturday Van den Berg will be able to channel that waiting into something special.