Lock Etienne Oosthuizen says the entire Lions squad benefits from Springbok alignment camps.
Players returning from Bok camps have made a big impact back at Ellis Park.
“The players coming back from the alignment camps don’t normally chat about it in detail, but they do bring that energy and drive the standards for us when they are back with the team,” Oosthuizen told the media this week.
“That’s a good thing for us. Not all of us get to go there, and they bring that experience back, that drive and hunger. That lifts us up as a team as well.”
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It’s a timely boost for a Lions side finding its rhythm at the business end of the Vodacom URC season.
Oosthuizen himself has been at the heart of that resurgence. He’s been one of the side’s most consistent performers in a campaign that has swung between highs and lows. But for the big lock, just being on the field still carries deeper meaning.
“If I go back three or four years ago, I was done with rugby. To get a second chance and the opportunity to play rugby again, to be constantly on the field, it means the world to me,” Oosthuizen said.
“I quite enjoy it, my wife is very supportive of it and I can be an example for my two sons growing up.”
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Now, with confidence building after back-to-back wins over the Sharks and Stormers – including lifting the SA Shield – the Lions have their sights firmly set on a playoff push.
They currently sit seventh on the log, with a crucial clash against Edinburgh at Ellis Park this weekend offering a chance to tighten their grip on a top-eight finish.
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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