Lions ready to 'Cash' in
CONTRACT NEWS: The Lions took the first significant step in the quest to regain their lost glory, following a rather unrespectable Super Rugby season.
The Ellis Park-based franchise made two significant announcements on Friday.
They managed to secure the signature of Springboks wing Courtnall Skosan.
The wing has committed to the Lions until 2021.
Skosan joined the Lions in 2014 and has since played 72 Super Rugby matches for the Lions, which includes 33 tries and 165 points.
The 27-year-old’s contract extension is certainly good news for the franchise, who are negotiations contracts with senior personnel like Albertus Smith and Elton Jantjies.
Player Announcement@Skosan14 has committed to Lions Rugby until 2021. Skosan joined the Lions in 2014 and has since played 72 Vodacom Super Rugby matches for the Lions, which includes 33 tries and 165 points.#LionsPride pic.twitter.com/7OGUiHuMpk
— Xerox Golden Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) June 28, 2019
* Meanwhile, the Johannesburg-based side also revealed that Ivan van Rooyen will retain the role as head coach of the Golden Lions Currie Cup team.
Van Rooyen, affectionately known as ‘Cash’, joined the Lions in 2009 after hanging up his boots as a player.
After successfully working with the junior sides, Super Rugby and Currie Cup teams as a sport scientist he became the Performance Excellence Manager at the Lions Rugby Company last year.
In 2018, Van Rooyen took the reigns as head coach of the Currie Cup, while he also stepped in as head coach during the Lions’ tour in this year’s Super Rugby against the Chiefs and Crusaders.
Consistency was the key in the LRC’s appointment of the Coach of the @Xerox Golden Lions for the 2019 DirectAxis @TheCurrieCup season. Ivan van Rooyen will retain the role of head coach of the Lions after they just missed out on a spot in the final last year.#LionsPride pic.twitter.com/dbjwuhG3Z1
— Xerox Golden Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) June 28, 2019