I thought I was through — Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye ready for Bulls ‘arm-wrestle’
United Rugby Championship
Asenathi Ntlabakanye proved he’s more than just a scrumming machine with his blistering run against the Ospreys. Now, the Lions big man is preparing for a massive "arm-wrestle" against a Springbok-laden Bulls pack at Ellis Park this Saturday. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
There are few better sights in rugby than a prop beating a defender or two, making a line-break and powering towards the try-line.
Springbok and Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye had such a moment in their recent United Rugby Championship (URC) draw against the Ospreys this past weekend. It was a brief but enjoyable moment for the Lions faithful, watching the burly prop break through the Welsh franchise’s defensive line with a captivating run towards the whitewash, only to be brought down by the scrabbling Ospreys.
As much as Lions supporters — and rugby followers at large — would have enjoyed it, Ntlabakanye was also a fan of the moment.
“To be honest with you, I thought I was through and through,” Ntlabakanye said, with a chuckle on Tuesday, following the Joburgers' training session. “I just don't have the pace anymore and someone caught up with me.
“It was good to get ball in hand again,” the 25-year-old added.
“It is something that I’ve always had in my arsenal … I said to myself before the game, ‘yes, I am tackling people, but they have forgotten how much of a good carrier I am’. It is something that I take pride in and, hopefully, I can keep improving from hereon in.”
The Lions will certainly require such dynamism on Saturday at Ellis Park when they face the Bulls in an all-important URC clash (2.30pm kick-off). The Bulls are expected to select the same front row that did the business against Edinburgh this past weekend, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar and Wilco Louw packing down.
Hooker Akker van der Merwe, loose forward Elrigh Louw and utilit- forward Cobus Wiese could also be up for selection in Pretoria. It points to a massive battle up-front and at set-piece time, one that Ntlabakanye and Co are relishing.
“It’s going to be an exciting one,” Ntlabakanye said, of the engine-room clash. “There are guys that I have played with and been teammates with as well. They are good friends of mine.
“In these derbies, it is an arm-wrestle… The Bulls are a Springbok pack, in a way, if you look at their front-row and their back-row, so it is good to challenge yourself and to really see where you are as a rugby player.”