Now only a matter of when Lions’ midfield beast takes Bok No13 jersey
Just days after making the South Africa A squad, Lions centre Henco van Wyk put in a performance to show exactly what he is all about against the Stormers on Saturday.
Whether it was scoring a try, tackling hard, making cover tackles, winning penalties at the breakdown or counter rucking, the 21-year-old had quite a game at Ellis Park, albeit in a losing cause.
After a sensational United Rugby Championship season so far, the outside centre has been called up to the South Africa A squad for games against Munster on Thursday November 10 and the Bristol Bears on November 17. With only Jesse Kriel covering the outside centre position in the Springboks’ squad this November it is very plausible that van Wyk could find himself in and around Jacques Nienaber’s matchday squad at some point, which would be very much deserved.
Regarding the Springboks A squad, director of rugby Rassie Erasmus said: “We have some exciting young talent making a strong statement for their franchises and clubs, and since we are limited to selecting only a specified number of players for the Springbok squad, we would not have been able to see some of them in action, so we are delighted to have this SA ‘A’ tour.
“This team is the closest one can get to represent the Springboks and given the quality of the Munster and Bristol teams and the electric atmospheres expected at those sold-out matches, this will be the perfect opportunity for those players to put up their hands for the World Cup squad.”
TAS Analytics recently shared a highlights reel of his game against the Stormers, take a look:
SA A squad
Forwards (10): Simphiwe Matanzima (Vodacom Bulls), Ntuthuko Mchunu (Cell C Sharks), Sazi Sandi (DHL Stormers), Mornay Smith (Vodacom Bulls), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Vodacom Bulls), Joseph Dweba (DHL Stormers), Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers), Ruan Nortje (Vodacom Bulls), Phepsi Buthelezi (Cell C Sharks), Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Cell C Sharks);
Backs (9): Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers), Sanele Nohamba (Emirates Lions), Grant Williams (Cell C Sharks), Johan Goosen (Vodacom Bulls), Gianni Lombard (Emirates Lions), Aphelele Fassi (Cell C Sharks), Cornal Hendricks (Vodacom Bulls), Suleiman Hartzenberg (DHL Stormers), Henco van Wyk (Emirates Lions).
