While Morné van den Berg wishes he could have contributed for the Lions, he said his time in the Bok camp has made him a better player.
Morné van den Berg is heartbroken after the Lions’ second straight Currie Cup final defeat, which he again missed to be part of the Springbok setup, but is ready to make the most of his chance after being selected to play against Argentina.
The nations clash in their first Rugby Championship match of the season at Kings Park, Durban, on Saturday (5.10pm).
All four sides in the competition have won two and lost two, with only bonus points and tries separating them. Australia lead with 11 points, South Africa are second with 10 and one more try than New Zealand in third, while Argentina are fourth with nine.
‘You wish you could have added’
The rising scrumhalf said the significance of the Springboks’ penultimate match, and the learnings in training, made it worth missing those Currie Cup finals.
“As a player, you wish you could have added,” said Van den Berg, nicknamed ‘Krappie’. “But the boys who played had the chance to put on the jersey. All I can say is my heart breaks for the Lions. The boys just have to stand up.”
The pain of last weekend’s Currie Cup final lay in how it unfolded, much like the year before.
In 2024, the Lions were 14-13 ahead and opted to keep the ball in play when the hooter sounded instead of kicking out for the win. The result was a turnover, and former Lions flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse slotted a famous 59m penalty to win it for the Sharks.
Last weekend, the Lions seemed to have put that mistake to bed with Lubalalo Dobela slotting a 78th-minute penalty to give them a 25-24 lead. The hooter sounded, the ball was kicked out, and Ellis Park erupted.
But referee Christopher Allison was alerted to an earlier incident, and the TMO ruled a deliberate slap-down. George Whitehead of Griquas kicked the penalty to break Lions’ hearts.
Bok setup helping Van den Berg reach his potential
“I’ve been missing a lot of games but this system allows you to grow. I 100% believe the training sessions, the meetings, the learning, makes me a better player,” Van den Berg added.
He said these tools, help from scrumhalf teammates, and support from Bok coaches have given him all he needs. “Then who am I to doubt myself? It gives me a lot of confidence to go out there and be myself on Saturday.”
Coach Rassie Erasmus said Van den Berg was one of the players who had waited the longest for his Bok call-ups.
The 27-year-old played two Tests last year and has only featured in two games this season – a friendly against Barbarians and an Italy Test.
He earned man of the match in that last outing at Loftus, where he kicked well, fed quickly, tackled well, and scored two tries.
