Johannesburg – Much like the inaugural season of the United Rugby Championship (URC), the Emirates Lions will start the new season as the plucky outsiders – underestimated by many, and considered the fourth South African franchise in ability and competitiveness.
But that doesn’t worry Lions flank Sibusiso Sangweni, nor his teammates, one bit. They have a clear objective that they are working towards.
“It is nice sometimes to be the underdog,” said Sangweni on Tuesday at the launch of the 2022/23 URC season. “No-one really expects a lot from us but, as a team, we expect a lot from ourselves. We have set goals for ourselves.
“We want to try and finish in the Top 8 this season. Last year we missed it by just a few games … People like to be surprised. We have started to gain confidence as a team, and the past few weeks we have come together as a team.
“The synergy in the team has been rising and the cohesion is beautiful. We are eager to get started and showcase what we have been doing for these past few weeks, so we can surprise the whole world.”
“Our main goal this season is to just be consistent,” Sangweni added, “and not have the ups and downs like last season when we started really well, then we dipped a bit, and towards the end we picked it up again ...
“Whether it is win or lose, we want to perform at a consistent level. That comes with maturity and also just growing as a team. Last season, we had a lot of things that happened in a very short time, like getting a new coaching staff and trying to find a balance between them and the players.”
The 21-year-old Sangweni – a former Baby Bok – has quietly been plugging away at his game in recent years as a professional rugby player and has steadily increased his participation since joining the Joburg-based union. Last season, he played 14 matches in the URC, averaging about 24 minutes a game
The departure of incumbent flank Vincent Tshituka during the off-season, however, could be a further boon to Sangweni’s career and increase those playing minutes. Of course, he will first need to convince head coach Ivan van Rooyen that he is a better fit within the matchday 23 than Travis Gordon, Ruan Venter, Francke Horn, Jaco Kriel, Ruhan Straeuli, Emmanuel Tshituka and Stephan Smit.
Then there is also the possible return of Willem Alberts, who could slot in at lock or any of the loose-trio positions, that needs to be considered.
The Lions start their URC campaign next weekend on Saturday against the Bulls, and if the entire squad remains fit – as informed by Van Rooyen – Sangweni, and his teammates, will have to put in some serious shifts to make that team.
Former SA Under-20 players Venter – who can also slot in at lock – and Horn arguably have the inside-lane, leaving the No 6 jersey possibly up for grabs. One would expect that it will be handed to Kriel, who will most likely also captain the side.
Vincent's younger brother, Emmanuel is also in the mix, but as Sangweni pointed out, “it is nice sometimes to be the underdog”.
@FreemanZAR