VIDEO: Lions Currie Cup coach Mzwakhe Nkosi will not bank on senior players helping him see out the Currie Cup season and is quite happy to stick it out with the Cubs in the system.
The Currie Cup has become the feeding ground to unearth fresh new talent.
While senior players who ply their trade in the United Rugby Championship sit out their mandatory eight week rest period, most big franchises have been forced to utilise the young talent in their system to guide them through the Currie Cup.
The Lions are second in the Currie Cup standings and just four points behind the Bulls after six rounds.
Following their resounding victory over the Pumas at Ellis Park on Saturday, Nkosi made it clear they will have to see how deep they can go in the competition with the current crop of Cubs at their disposal.
“The URC is obviously the flagship competition and flagship team of the Lions, so we’ve got to try and fight with these [current] guys for as long as we can,” Nkosi told a media briefing after the match.
“For Jaco [Visagie] and them it’s obviously a pre-season, but credit to them, they are invested in the competition [Currie Cup].
“But for the young guys, we have to see how deep we can go in the competition.
“So the URC players aren’t really going to play, they have to prep hard.
“From a URC perspective, they’ve got a really tough opener, Sharks away,” he commented.
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Reacting on the victory his charges managed over the Pumas, a team the Lions normally struggle to overcome, Nkosi was a happy man.
“In comparison to our other performances [in the Currie Cup], we were probably very collective in this performance.
“In particular in the first half before the game got a bit loose and untidy.
“I thought the forward pack brought it. Jaco was scrumming with two 21-year-olds on either side of him.
“There’s a lot to be said for that. So we were able to gain ascendancy,” the coach said.
Springbok flank Ruan Venter had a blinder of a game, scoring a hat-trick and having a hand in a few other tries. The experience he brings to such a young side is invaluable, but Nkosi felt a lot of work was still ahead.
“It’s inspiring to have players like Ruan Venter and Quan Horn playing with guys like Bronson Mills and Kelly Mpeku.
“I thought Ruan was outstanding today but I think there is work to do with all of them, Quan Horn included, even though he has 50 caps for the Lions.
“There is still work to do.
“And that is just part of what our Currie Cup job is.
“If someone asked us at the beginning of the Currie Cup what our job is, where are going to go as deep as we can, but also make sure there is a bit of a pipeline for the URC coaches.
