- The Lions famously made Springboks of a bunch of Bulls rejects during the Johan Ackermann era, establishing a strategy that remains firmly in place.
- The recent recruitment of Burger Odendaal, Jaco Visagie and Wiehahn Herbst from Loftus have raised hopes of a similar return on investment.
- However, as some of the other recent acquisitions from Pretoria show, it’s not a foolproof way of doing business.
It all started in 2013, with the Lions at one of their lowest ebbs, relegated out of Super Rugby and left crippled by the inevitable departure of their stars.
Meanwhile, the Bulls’ impressive but cumbersome recruitment was starting to create a bottleneck and various promising players were becoming frustrated at their lack of opportunities.
Shrugging off the choppy waters the unions found itself in, Franco Mostert, Robbie Coetzee and Warwick Tecklenburg left Loftus for Ellis Park.
A year later, Courtnall Skosan crossed the Jukskei river and was followed a year later by Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
By 2017, all those men played a significant role in leading the Lions to their first ever Super Rugby final and, with the exception of the underrated Tecklenburg, became Springbok squad members.
Last week, it seemed that history might be repeating itself as the franchise announced the signings of Burger Odendaal, Jaco Visagie and Wiehahn Herbst.
After all, the strategy has proven successful previously.
However, the latest group of Bulls defectors isn’t an isolated one as there are quite a few who’ve joined in the last two years … with mixed results.
As the following list illustrates, the jury is out on whether the Lions’ open door for some of their neighbours is still as effective as before.
JAN-HENNING CAMPHER
The 23-year-old hooker certainly has the pedigree to be successful.
Son of former Bulls prop Lourens, Campher was a star at school in Garsfontein and was a key member of the 2016 Junior Springbok squad.
At 1.86m and 110kg, he possesses an imposing frame that mirrors that of Bok star Malcolm Marx, but since moving from Loftus in 2019 has struggled to command a starting place.
He’s shown in glimpses in 2020 that he’s a bustling, explosive runner and has made a substantial impact as a ball-carrier.
But his basics need some touching up, though he recovered from five missed tackles against the Waratahs to deliver a lionhearted tackling display against the Blues.
DUNCAN MATTHEWS
To the Lions’ credit, when they managed to secure Matthews’ release midway through last season’s Currie Cup, they did so with a plan in mind.
Having made his mark at senior level as a winger, the brains trust at Ellis Park wanted him in midfield, a position he last played at school.
Matthews seemed to get the hang of it as the Lions reached the Currie Cup final, but his deficiencies at No 13 was shown early this season.
He was dropped after the first two matches of the Super Rugby campaign and only got a look-in again when he was summoned as an injury replacement on the tour to Australasia.
JAMBA ULENGO
His injury record is terrible, which is perhaps why some observers believe him to be a risky signing.
Ironically, his Super Rugby campaign this year was cut short by a quad injury after just three appearances, but Ulengo certainly didn’t go missing.
He constantly looked for work against the Waratahs, eventually racking up 91 running metres in a losing cause and was solid defensively against the Blues.
There’s enough of an all-round package to render him a valuable option, but he needs to stay fit.
FRANS VAN WYK
2019 was a homecoming of sorts for the 25-year-old tighthead, who went to school in Krugersdorp but then departed for the Cape, gaining selection as a Junior Springbok.
Lured to Loftus, he was praised by then Bulls coach John Mitchell for his excellent scrumming and an ability to move a big 1.90m, 125kg body around the park.
But an injury, coupled by Mitchell departing, saw him go back to Johannesburg.
There’s a temptation to say he’s been a victim of the Lions being too eager to boast a substantial number of tightheads, though it came in handy when Van Wyk came in to replace the underperforming duo of Jannie du Plessis and Carlu Sadie.
That said, one will expect a lot more from him when local rugby resumes.
FRANCO NAUDE
Loaned from the Bulls in 2019, Naude is your proverbial outhouse of an inside centre.
His move intrigued many as his physicality was reasoned to bring some balance to a backline rich in creativity yet lacking in some bulk.
Naude’s limitations though were exposed as he lacked the finer skills to make an impact if his pack couldn’t provide him with a platform.
He returned to Loftus, was rarely seen and is now one of 18 players to have left as Jake White cleans up his squad.
