Young lock relishing opportunity to play senior rugby at Loftus
True to the Bull's reputation as a lock factory in South African rugby, there are again a few young men these days who look like big stars of the future – especially one young giant who, a year ago, was actually still unknown on Loftus Versfeld.
When the year started, little did the young Bulls lock, Janko Swanepoel, imagine how much of an integral part of the team he would be.
The Bulls have a history of producing some of the country’s best locks in South Africa. The competition for the Class of 2021 has been no different as Swanepoel, who had cut his teeth in the junior structures at Loftus Versfeld, had to compete for a place in the senior team with the likes of the more experienced Sintu Manjezi, the evergreen Ruan Nortjé, the exciting Walt Steenkamp and the versatile Jacques du Plessis, among others.
The 22-year-old established himself as a consistent feature in the Bulls’ Carling Currie Cup and the United Rugby Championship teams, where he has appeared mostly as a No4 lock – a slight change from the No5 position he has mostly played in his junior rugby years.
“When I look back, from Under-19 level right through the junior ranks, I was always a No5 lock. When Coach Jake (White) brought me up to the senior team, I got the opportunity to play at No4. I thought it was something that would make me a more versatile player – to be able to play in both positions. Wherever I am asked to play, I will play,” said Swanepoel during an interview shortly before the players’ Christmas break began.
Swanepoel has grown in leaps and bounds over the past year and admits to having gained valuable experience, particularly from his involvement in the United Rugby Championship, where he has competed against some of the best second-rowers in Europe and in South Africa.
He believes that there is quite a lot that he, as well as the forwards, as a unit, have learned in terms of lineouts.
“We continuously do our homework, analysing the oppositions’ lineouts. They too seem to have done their homework well when it comes to analysing ours. This is a new competition for us, and we continue to learn as we try to find our feet in the competition,” he explained.
Like any young rugby player, Swanepoel harbours ambitions of donning the green and gold of the Springboks one day. He needs no further motivation to work towards this goal than attempting to follow in the footsteps of the players he admires.
He revealed that Franco Mostert is one of the players he looks up to.
“He has shown that you don’t necessarily need to be the biggest bloke on the field. His work ethic and his work rate in the lineout is very good. There are also players like Lood de Jager, who is one of the standout players that I look up to,” Swanepoel remarked.
When the Bulls return to action in the new year, Swanepoel will be hoping to continue where he left off – producing stellar performances and showing marked improvements in his game with each passing match.
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