New Lions hooker Bandise Maku is looking forward to being a part of what the Johannesburg-based outfit is building but knows ‘nothing is guaranteed’, insisting he is ready to work for his spot and prove himself.
iafrica.com
The 24-year-old, who made his Springbok debut against Italy earlier this year, has signed to play for the Lions next season in a quest to get more game time than he has seen during his time with the Bulls.
“For me (joining the Lions) this is a great opportunity to play,” he said.
“Every player wants to play week-in, week-out. I’m really excited to be going to the Lions but I know also that nothing is guaranteed. There are good players established there and I will have to earn my place – that’s ok with me though.”
The Lions significant improvement during the Currie Cup following their torrid Super 14 campaign attracted Maku to joining a team on the rise, and he is eager to learn as much as he can from coach John Mitchell.
“There is definitely something going on there – they’ve done really well this season and are exciting to watch,” he explained.
“John Mitchell is a great coach. He did really well with the All Blacks and I have a lot of respect for what he was trying to achieve with the Western Force as well.
“I have spoken to a lot of the guys there and they say he is a disciplined coach who gives his players the belief they need to go out and perform, which is fantastic.”
Left out of the 39-man Springbok training squad which was announced over the weekend, Maku is determined to stay positive – vowing to come back even stronger in 2011.
“Every player wants to be a Springbok – it is what we all dream about,” he said.
“For me now it is just about giving myself the best chance. The more you play the better you get. Next year is a big year and every player wants to be a part of the World Cup.
“A lot of people are going to be working hard in the next few months to make sure they are in the best condition to prove themselves – and I’ll be one of those guys!”
Reflecting on his time in Pretoria, the former Border Craven Week star said he will certainly miss being a part of the Bulls ‘family’.
“Of course I will miss the Bulls, I’ve been here for six years and loved every minute of it,” he admitted.
“It is a great environment to be a part of and they are a great Union.”
Maku will spend the next couple weeks of his brief holiday relocating to Johannesburg. He will officially become a Lion on November 1st and begin training for the Super 15 campaign that month.
So, if I didn’t think he was the greatest hooker in the world before, as a die hard Lions fan must I now say “Gee what a good acquisition for the GLRU”, or must I rather ask, “is this one of the 4 or 5 world class players that Mr de Klerk promised the Union?”
Either way I’m sure I’ll be branded a veraaier in Doornfontein (again).
Doornfontein……or Soweto? 🙂
Just thought I’d throw this in there, got it from the WP website…it has not been a bad year for WP Rugby thusfar…I hope we can score some kind of silverware from somewhere…
You know, just to balance things out…
Achievements to date;
� Vodacom WP U13 – Champions
� Vodacom WP U13 XV Academy Week – Champions
� Vodacom WP U16 – Champions
� Vodacom WP U18 Academy Week – Champions (drew final with Boland)
� Vodacom WP U18 LSEN Week – Champions
� Vodacom WP U18 – Losing finalists
� Vodacom WP Amateur team – Champions
� Vodacom WP Women´s – Champions
� Vodacom WP Disa Team – Champions
� Vodacom WP U19 – top of log – final to be contested.
� Vodacom WP U21 – top of log – final to be contested.
� Vodacom WP senior team – final to be contested.
� Vodacom Stormers – Finalists in Soweto.
Other honours
� Maties – Finalists at Club Champs.
� Maties and UCT contested the Varsity cup final with Maties winning.
Fcuk the Lions…
the saint @ 3
f*ckin u18’s!! 😯
Ooo flok die GROOTSTE prys die Kroon is ons sn, jammer.
super @ 6
stry nie daaroor nie
..
ek dink wat saint probeer uitwys is dat dit lyk asof wprugby uiteindelik dinge begin regruk!!
Ashley wrote:
tereg broer tereghhhhh
but the proof is in the pudding.
al is dit ook hoe cruel sal ek like om nog EEN keer julle voor die hekke van die hemel(sorry Div ek moes een van jou aanhalings gebruik) sien vasteek. Wat dan intresant sal wees is hoe reageer julle. Ek glo dis nou of nooit vir WP.
lang messe kom op in my gedagtes. Kyk Rassie bou nou al jare, ligte , disko ligte , baie praat, stilswye , alles is nou getraai. Dit is tyd om te deliver.
As die Sharks die een vat sal ek graag die reaksie van die Kaapenaars wil sien.
Of the “New” names in the Bok training squad, which of the following excites you most?
19 %
Bjorn Basson
11 %
Elton Jantjies
25 %
Pat Lambie
9 %
Lwazi Mvovo
1 %
Dean Greyling
1 %
Werner Kruger
3 %
Coenie Oosthuizen
9 %
Willem Alberts
22 %
Duane Vermeulen
Current poll on Sport24
Using Possession
Ball in play time
Sharks vs Blue Bulls minutes: 19 minutes 30 seconds + 21 minutes 4 seconds = 40 minutes 34 seconds
Western Province vs Free State: minutes 18 minutes 59 seconds + 19 minutes 32 seconds = 38 minutes 31 seconds
(In the 1st Division Final the ball was in play for 32 minutes 2 seconds
Tries scored:
Sharks: 1
Blue Bulls: 0
Western Province: 3
Free State: 1
Penalties scored:
Sharks: 3
Blue Bulls: 4
Western Province: 4
Free State: 0
Kicks
Sharks vs Blue Bulls: 15 + 22 = 37
Western Province vs Free State: 27 + 21 = 48
Well I reckon Maku needs this, the only way we can truly assess his abilities is if he plays a full season of Super 15, it is very difficult to assess a player when he plays 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there.
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