The Emirates Lions resumed training Monday, 02 November after a short break following a 4-week tour of Italy, Wales, Scotland and Ireland in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (VURC).
Coach Ivan van Rooyen was excited to be back after the squad was given two weeks off to recover. According to van Rooyen, the squad came back fresh and ready to train.
"Most of them went from the Carling Currie Cup straight into the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, so the rest was much needed. Tuesday and Wednesday we were on the field where it was quite intense as we pushed the guys a fair bit. But the response from them was positive, which was good to see."
"We knew the VURC was going to be extremely competitive. Every game has teams featuring quite a few test players, which furthers confirms the quality of opponents. We said from the start that there won’t be any easy games as teams are continuously improving with each round of the competition."
"To see guys like Willem and Tiaan training again is a huge highlight. Then of course players like JP Smith and Edwill van der Merwe, who both joined us recently, slotting in well is great to see. On the converse, it’s sad losing guys to injury, but again, that’s the business of rugby. But overall, it is great to see the guys who weren’t with us on tour fit and ready to go."