Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg was thrilled about the opportunity to play his first Test in his hometown of Johannesburg when the Springboks line up against the All Blacks at the FNB Stadium outside Soweto on Saturday at 17:10 SAST.
.
A passionate crowd of more than 80,000 spectators are expected to attend the third Test in the Castle Double Malt Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry, and Van den Berg said the Boks are looking forward to playing at the “Calabash”.
Van den Berg, who plays for the 10bet Lions, made his debut for the provincial union at the iconic FNB Stadium, and said the fact that he would be running out there this weekend in his second Test in this series made it extra special.
“I’m very excited to play a Test in Johannesburg at the FNB Stadium” said Van den Berg, who is fondly referred to as ‘Krappies’ by his teammates, on Wednesday.
“We trained there this week, and it’s an amazing stadium. The whole team is buzzing and excited. With close to 90 000 supporters there, it’s going to be incredible.”
Van den Berg said his first Test against the All Blacks last weekend in Cape Town, where the Springboks won 33-26, was a very special occasion.
“It was a really cool experience – they are one of the best sides in the world, and to experience that intensity first hand was great,” he said.
When asked about the scrums, which have been a contentious point in the media throughout the week, the talented scrumhalf, who will earn his ninth Test cap should he come off the replacements bench, said: “I’m probably the wrong guy to ask technical scrum questions. I play what’s in front of me, and as a back the boys have a job to do.”
Asked who his heroes were growing up, Van den Berg said they were a few he could mention: “I grew up as a massive Lions fan, so I really loved watching Ricky Januarie, and then Jano Vermaak after that. And as I got older, Faf de Klerk became the player I really looked up to.
“To be honest, if I wanted to be like somebody, it would probably be Faf. But I won’t say I go and watch his videos and try to copy his style.”