Springbok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg isn’t resting on his laurels after finishing Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry with a flourish. CLINTON VAN DER BERG reports.
Not only is there a long queue of rivals to deal with, ‘Krappie’ isn’t in the habit of looking too far back or, as it turns out, too far forward.
“There’s a new picture, a new team, a new week,” he reflected in a media call from Turin on Tuesday. “There’s big work this weekend; we must make sure we play well.”
Asked about the pressure that comes with so many excellent local scrumhalves to fend off, he said this was the inevitability of pro rugby.
“The nines in South Africa are playing unbelievable rugby,” he remarked, adding that fellow tourists Cobus Reinach and Grant Williams are pushing him, and each other, hard. “It can only make us better and I’m grateful for it.”
Acknowledging that the Boks only got to Italy on Monday, the Lions scrumhalf wasn’t concerned with the transition from club to international rugby.
“I won’t say it’s easy, but everyone is in a similar position,” said the 10-cap Bok. “The systems at the club and the systems here are close enough that we’re able to dig into how we want to play and get alignment. So it’s not easy, but it’s very doable.”
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Switching between local and international duty, Van den Berg has no issue with the workload. In fact, he welcomes it.
“I’m obviously enjoying it a lot. I’m feeling strong, my body is healing well, and I’m in a good position. I feel great. If you get the opportunity to represent the Springboks at this level, you want to take it, so to be able to play more is such a blessing.
“And when you play for your club, it’s also an opportunity to put your hand up and represent them. So playing more is incredible.”
The World Cup is the furthest thing from his mind, he says. For him, it’s the here and now that matters most – and that’s beating Italy on Saturday.
Photo: Caean Couto/Getty Images
The post Krappie focused on the here and now appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Springbok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg isn’t resting on his laurels after finishing Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry with a flourish.
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