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The 'Escaped Lions XV' that populate clubs around the world

By Online Editors
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

When the Lions returned to Super Rugby in 2014, they introduced a new group of ‘no-name brand’ players to the game in South Africa – write Jan de Koning for Rugby 365.

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Not only did they reach three successive finals (2016, 2017 & 2018), but a whole host of previously unheralded players – mostly unwanted by other South African franchises – became Springboks while playing for the Ellis Park-based outfit.

Those ‘rejects’ include Andries Coetzee, Marnitz Boshoff, Franco Mostert, Ruan Dreyer, Jacques van Rooyen, Jaco Kriel, Julian Redelinghuys, Warren Whiteley, Ross Cronje and Ruan Combrinck.

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The few home-grown products included Malcolm Marx and Elton Jantjies.

Add in other famous recruits from the pre- and post-2013 era – like Francois de Klerk, Willie Britz, Armand van der Merwe and Lionel Mapoe – then you truly get an idea of how the team rose from the ashes, like a proverbial Phoenix.

However, this article is NOT about these success stories.

We want to take you back to those Lions that escaped the Den – who were involved before and during their politically-motivated demotion at the end of 2012 and moved on.

We will select a team of those who featured for the Rooibontes before their axing from Super Rugby.

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15 – Jaco Taute

He played in 60-odd games for the Lions between 2009 and 2012, before moving to the Stormers in 2013. The 29-year-old, capped three-times for the Springboks, moved abroad and played for Munster (40-odd games) and Leicester Tigers (where he has made a handful of appearances).

Back-up: Michael Killian, Louis Ludik

Taute sidelined
(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

14 – James Kamana

The 34-year-old New Zealander represented the Lions in almost 30 games in 2011 and 2012, before he moved to Japan in 2013. He previously played for Waikato and Tasman in New Zealand’s NPC, while he was also part of Gordon Tietjens’ NZ sevens team in 2008, playing world circuit rounds in Dubai and George.

Back-up: Deon van Rensburg, Shandre Frolick

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13 – Dylan des Fountain

An exceptionally creative midfield player, he featured for the Bulls, Stormers and even had a couple of games for Aironi in Italy before arriving in Johannesburg. Became a household name ate Ellis Park, before injury cut short his career.

Back-up: Jannie Boshoff, Justin St Jerry

12 – Gideon la Grange

Affectionately known as Doppies, he spent the majority of his career at the Johannesburg-based side. The solid centre was known for his great upper-body strength, developed during his days as a South African schoolboy wrestling champion. He made over 150 appearances between 2003 and 2012. He moved Benetton Treviso in 2013.

Back-up: Waylon Murray, Walter Venter.

11 – Dusty Noble

First made his mark at the Sharks, before a lack of game time saw him move to Johannesburg in 2008. The former Sevens flyer played 50-odd games in Currie Cup and Super Rugby, before he moved to Griquas and eventually played a game for the Cheetahs. Eventually return to Durban, where he played for the club side College Rovers.

Back-up: Henno Mentz, Johan Jackson.

10 – Andrew James

Affectionately known as Butch, the 2007 World Cup winner was a stalwart with the Sharks (2000 to 2007), before he moved to Bath in the English Premiership, where he played 68 games. Upon his return to South Africa in 2011, he joined the Lions for two seasons – returning to his home town Durban in 2013.

Back-up: Herkie Kruger, Ruan Boshoff, Burton Francis, Jody Rose & Earl Rose.

9 – Michael Bondesio

Played more than 50 games for the Leopards, before he moved to Johannesburg from Potchefstroom in 2011. He made almost 50 appearances in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup in two seasons, but never featured again after 2013. He was named in the 2014 squad, but was surpassed by Ross Cronjé and Francois de Klerk – who both became Springboks.

Back-up: Alex Kock & Chris Jonck.

8 – Josh Strauss

The energetic Scottish international, with his trademark bushy beard, joined the Lions after helping the University of Stellenbosch win the Varsity Cup. After just three games for Boland in 2008 and 2009, he moved to Johannesburg in 2011 and ended up captaining the side – before he moved to Glasgow Warriors when the Lions lost their Super Rugby spot.

Back-up: Jonathan Mokuena, Willem Alberts (although he has returned this year).

7 – Michael Rhodes

Saracens players
Saracens’ Michael Rhodes  (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images)

In 2011 he joined the Lions from the Sharks (where he played 40-odd matches) and featured in 22 outings for the Johannesburg-based franchise. In 2013 he moved to the Stormers, played almost 50 games, before he moved to Saracens in the English Premiership in 2015. He has accumulated almost 100 caps for the now relegated outfit – with won the European Cup and Premiership multiple times before their controversial axing this year.

Back-up: Robert Kruger, Justin Wheeler

6 – Wikus van Heerden

The 2007 World Cup winner, who played 14 Tests for his country, moved back to the Lions in 2010 – after stints with the Bulls (50-odd games between 2003 and 2008) and Saracens (21 games in 2009). His first stint with the Lions was 2001 to 2006. He retired at the end of the 2012 season.

Back-up: Cobus Grobbelaar, Grant Hattingh

5 – Paul Willemse

The product of Monument High School, Krugersdorp, has come a long way since his debut for the Lions in 2012. He moved to the Bulls in 2013 (40-odd games), then Grenoble and eventually Montpellier. The 27-year-old bruiser is now a mainstay in the French national team.

Back-up: Nico Luus and Etienne Oosthuizen.

Paul Willemse
Paul Willemse (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

4 – Ruan Botha

Another Gauteng product, Jeugland Hoërskool, that came through the youth systems and made his Lions debut in 2012. Like his second row ‘partner’, Willemse, he moved on in 2013 – first the Stormers (40 games for Stormers and Western Province), then Sharks (40-odd games), Japan and London Irish.

Back-up: Hendrick Roodt and Stefan Greef.

3 – Ross Geldenhuys

The ultimate journeyman. He played for the Border Bulldogs, Western Province and Pumas before he joined the Lions in 2008. Fifty-odd games later his wandering ways continued – Boland Cavaliers, Free State Cheetahs, Griffons, Eastern Province Kings, Stormers, Tasman, Highlanders, Southern Kings, Sharks, Bay of Plenty, Hurricanes and now – at the ripe old age of 36 – the Chiefs.

Back-up: Pat Cilliers and Jacobie Adriaanse (left in 2013 and returned in 2017)

2 – Bandise Maku

The one-cap Springbok played 80-odd games for the Bulls between 2006 and 2010, before he joined the Lions in 2011. He made 40-odd appearances before he joined the mass exodus in 2013 and played for the Southern Kings, before he rejoined the Bulls – making another 40-odd appearances.

Back-up: Edgar Marutlulle and Martin Bezuidenhout.

1 – Jacobus Janse van Rensburg

After his school days at Oakdale Agricultural College in Riversdale, he moved to Johannesburg in 2006 and made well over 100 appearances for the Lions in Super Rugby and the Currie Cup. In 2013 he signed with French team Bayonne, but not before he captained the Lions to victory in a two-match promotion-relegation series over the Kings. In July 2015 Janse van Rensburg returned to South Africa to link up with Cape Town-based Stormers prior to the 2016 Super Rugby season and to France after the 2018 Super Rugby season, joining Grenoble.

Back-up: Caylib Oosthuizen and Lawrence Sephaka.

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Jon 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 6 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 8 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
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