Lions give Smit a chance to ‘show what he’s got’ against Sharks

Dillon Smit has negotiated a long and winding road and admittedly encountered a few speed bumps on route to becoming a Lions starting scrumhalf.

The 27-year-old link man will get a rare opportunity in the run-on side for Friday night’s Super Rugby Unlocked opener against the Sharks in Durban (kick-off 7pm).

Seen back then as a bright prospect, Smit was lured from Potchefstroom in 2015 after a brief five-match stopover at the Border Bulldogs (2013) and 15 appearances for the Potchefstroom-based Leopards in 2014-15.

With the emergence of Faf de Klerk and subsequently Ross Cronje, Smit, often confused with the much bulkier loosehead prop Dylan Smith, has had to wait in the queue to make a breakthrough.

In his five-year stay at Ellis Park to date, he has made just 26 Super Rugby appearances for the Lions and had only 22 outings for the Currie Cup unit, the Golden Lions.

Such has been his form in the red and white jersey in the two matches since the return to action from a six-month coronavirus-enforced hiatus, however, that Lions coach Cash van Rooyen hasn’t been able to ignore him.

Not only has Smit been knocking hard on the selection door, but he has young Morne van den Berg, also known to his team-mates as “Krappies”, breathing down his collar for the No 9 jersey.

“Dillon has been in our system for a good four to five years and he knows exactly how we want him to play,” said Van Rooyen.

“Both Dillon and Krappies were very good in the warm-up friendly against the Pumas (won 33-5 by the Lions) and also in the SuperFan Saturday clash (against the Stormers) the week before that.”

While Smit no doubt views the occasion as a huge opportunity to shine, he may have a battle on his hands against his Sharks opposite number, Sanele Nohamba, an emerging star who received rich praise from Springbok captain Siya Kolisi after his performance for the Green side in last week’s Springbok Showdown at Newlands.

The Lions are well-stocked in the scrumhalf department this season and also boast two more quality No 9’s in former Bulls man Andre Warner as well as veteran Bok Ross Cronje.

Van Rooyen is not known to be a big believer in the ‘horses for courses’ approach, but admitted he preferred to keep reviewing his options on a weekly basis, taking into account form and fitness.

“We are blessed with four very good scrumhalves, but it gives Dillon the opportunity to show what he has got and bring his own style to the game,” said Van Rooyen.

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