The 'Escaped Lions XV' that populate clubs around the world
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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.
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.
Comments on RugbyPass
1. The Chiefs are rudderless without DMac, which enhances his AB chances 2. Chiefs pack are powderpuffs. The hard men arent there anymore 3. They had their golden title chance last yr and wont threaten this yr. Gone in second round of playoffs.
1 Go to commentsHonestly, why did you have to publish such a foolish article the day they play us? 😂
30 Go to comments> They are not standalone entities. They are linked to an amateur association which holds the FFR licence that allows the professional side to compete in the league. That’s a great rule. This looks like the chicken or egg professional scenario. How long is it going to be before the club can break even (if that is even a thing in French rugby)? If the locals aren’t into well it would be good to se them drop to amateur level (is it that far?). Hope they can reset from this level and be more practical, there will be a time when they can rebuild (if France has there setup right).
1 Go to commentsWhat about changing the ball? To something heavier and more pointed that bounces unpredictably. Not this almost round football used these days.
35 Go to commentsThis 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 commentsWow, didn’t realise there was such apathy to URC in SA, or by Champions Cup teams. Just read Nick’s article on Crusaders, are Sharks a similar circumstance? I think SA rugby has been far more balanced than NZs, no?
2 Go to commentsBut 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 commentsIt could be coincidental or prescient that the All Blacks most dominant period under Steve Hansen was when the Crusaders had their least successful period under Todd Blackadder and then the positions reversed when Razor took over the Crusaders.
30 Go to commentsDefinitely sound read everybodyexpects immediate results these days, I don't think any team would travel well at all having lost three of the most important game changers in the game,compiled with the massive injury list they are now carrying, good to see a different more in depth perspective of a coaches history.
3 Go to commentsSinckler is a really big loss for English rugby.
2 Go to commentsThanks 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 commentsNo way. If you are trying to picture New Zealand rugby with an All Blacks mindset, there have been two factors instrumental to the decline of NZ rugby to date. Those are the horror that the Blues have become and, probably more so, the fixture that the Crusaders became. I don’t think it was healthy to have one team so dominant for so long, both for lack of proper representation of players from outside that environment and on the over reliance on players from within it. If you are another international side, like Ireland for example, sure. You can copy paste something succinct from one level to the next and experience a huge increase in standards, but ultimately you will not be maximizing it, which is what you need to perform to the level the ABs do. Added to that is the apathy that develops in the whole game as a result of one sides dominance. NZ, Super, and Championship rugby should all experience a boom as a result of things balancing out. That said, there is a lot of bad news happening in NZ rugby recently, and I’m not sure the game can be handled well enough here to postpone the always-there feeling of inevitable decline of rugby.
30 Go to commentsNo SA supporter miss Super Rugby - a product that is experiencing significant head wind in ANZ - the competition from rival codes are intense, match attendance figures are at a historical low and the negativity of commentators such as Kirwan and Wilson have accelerated the downward spiral in NZ. After the next RWC in 2027 sponsors will follow Qantas and start leaving in droves.
2 Go to commentsLike others, I am not seeing the connection between this edition of the Crusaders and the All Blacks future prospects under Razor. I think the analysis of the Crusaders attack recently is helpful because Razor and his coaching team used to be able to slot new guys in to their systems and see them succeed. Several of Razor’s coaches are still there so it would be surprising if the current attack and set piece has been overhauled to a great extent - but based on that analysis, it may have been. Whether it is too many new guys due to injuries or retirement or a failure of current Crusaders systems is the main question to be answered imo. It doesn’t seem relevant for the ABs.
30 Go to commentsharry potter is set in stone. he creates stability and finishes well. exactly what schmidt likes. he’s the ben smith of australian rugby. i think it could quite easily be potter toole and kellaway for the foreseeable future.
5 Go to commentsThis is short sighted from Clayton if you ask me, smacks of too much preseason planning and no adaptability. What if DMac is out for a must win match, are they still only going to bring their best first five and playmaker on late in the game? Trusting the game to someone who wasn’t even part of planning (they would have had Trask pinned in as Jacomb preseason). Perhaps if the Crusaders were better they would not have done this, but either way imo you take this opportunity to play a guy you might need starting in a final rather than having their 12th game getting comfortable coming off the bench.
1 Go to commentsThanks 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 commentsWhat a load of bollocks. The author has forgotten to mention the fact that the Crusaders have a huge injury toll with top world class players out. Not to mention the fact that they are obviously in a transition period. No this will not spark a slow death for NZ rugby, but it does mean there will be a new Super Rugby champion. Anyone who knows anything about NZ rugby knows that there is some serious talent here, it just isn’t all at the Crusaders.
30 Go to commentsI wouldn’t spend the time on Nawaqanitawase! No point in having him filling in a jersey when he’s committed to leave Union. Give the jersey to a young prospect who will be here in the future.
5 Go to commentsIt was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
55 Go to comments