Johannesburg — Perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the Lions’ narrow victory over Ospreys this past weekend was that it revealed options, of which the Joburgers have many to ponder in several key positions.
That was arguably epitomised by their half-back pairing in the 28-27 triumph, after coach Ivan van Rooyen opted to start Sanele Nohamba and Gianni Lombard at scrumhalf and flyhalf, respectively. In their first United Rugby Championship clash a week earlier, against the Bulls, Morne van den Berg and Jordan Hendrikse played in those roles.
Considering how young these playmakers are, it remains an agreeable conundrum to have such talent to choose from. Lombard played the full 80 against the Welsh side, keeping his team calm and respectable under building pressure, while Nohamba built a solid platform for Van den Berg to close out the last 15 minutes of the match.
The nuggety No 9, in particular, had a decent debut start in the URC for the Lions, capping off a man-of-the-match outing with a cheeky try in the 49th minute. There were some silly shenanigans that he will have to be vigilant of in future, but in the end they came to nought this past weekend.
“The credit,” Nohamba said magnanimously of that score, “must go to the scrummagers – the forwards.
“They are the ones who actually put a lot of pressure on (Ospreys) and I was just lucky to pounce on the try. They must get the credit, not me.
“I was very impressed with my performance.
“I haven’t played a lot of rugby over the last six months or so, so I was glad to get some game time and to just enjoy the night with the boys. We trained so hard during the week, so it is good to reap the rewards on Saturday.
“Everyone in the squad has put their hands up for selection,” Nohamba continued, regarding his partnership with 24-year-old Lombard, “and the coaches back whoever they have to back when they try new combinations.
“I think it worked well with me and Gianni on Saturday, so we are very happy. We backed each other up and just trusted each other’s calls and everything took off from there.”
It seems then that Nohamba, formerly of the Sharks, is settling nicely into the team culture of the Lions, a point he reiterated by saying: "I felt like I needed a change, a new start.
“I’m working with the new coaches and adding the knowledge that I picked up at the Sharks, while learning from them and the new players around me. I am still trying to grow, but I am enjoying my time here.”
Competition for the No 9 jersey will no doubt be fierce this season at the Lions, as Nohamba, Van den Berg, Andre Warner, Nico Steyn and Ginter Smuts all vie for the scrumhalf position. It brings with it a unique kinship within the squad, especially between Nohamba and Van den Berg, who are both on tour with the team in Europe.
"It is more helping each other, than competition within the camp,” said Nohamba.
"(Van den Berg) shares information. I share information.
“We try to help each other on the field to make him better and to make me better ... He put me under pressure during the week to make me good for the weekend.”
Van Rooyen selects his matchday 23 for Cardiff on Wednesday. It is possible that Van Rooyen will revert back to a Van den Berg/Hendrikse combo, or stick with the Nohamba/Lombard pairing that served them so well this past weekend.
Of course, there are also a number of other setups in that channel that he could decide on, such as Nohamba and Hendrikse, for one, such is his tricky task. Ultimately, he will have to decide between rotation, or consistency; and that might not be as difficult a decision to make after win against Ospreys.
IOL Sport