AUDIO: Mapoe opens up about Bok axing
LISTEN as Springbok discard Lionel Mapoe talks about returning to the Currie Cup competition for the first time in three years, after being axed from the national team.
Mapoe, who came off the bench to score two tries in the 19-32 loss to Argentina in Mendoza, failed to make the cut for the squad that travelled to Australasia.
Since his return to the Lions, the 30-year-old is a revitalised version of the midfield star that has been a staple of the Golden Lions’ unbeaten run in the Currie Cup.
He refused to sit in a corner and mope about having been axed after his try-double in his 14th Test.
“These [Currie Cup] games have been good for me,” Mapoe said, adding that he has not given up hope of a recall to the national team.
“I am the ‘old cat’ with a bunch of young guys.
“The vibe here [at the Lions] is amazing,” Mapoe said, adding: “It is nice to play with guys that are excited and being the youth out in you. I am enjoying it.”
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Mapoe dismissed the notion that he has something to prove to the Bok coach, Rassie Erasmus.
“I can either take it as a negative, or a positive.
“Coming down to the Currie Cup, I am going to enjoy my time here.
“I am playing for this team. We have a goal here, to win the Currie Cup. My focus is here [with the Lions].”
He added that if the call comes from the Bok coach, he is available.
“I know if I perform well, I will get rewarded,” he said, adding that the disappointment of being axed happens.
“That is rugby. I have been in this game for a while now. I am more experienced in handling disappointments.
“To come here [to the Lions] makes it worthwhile. I chose not to take it as a negative.”
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