VIDEO: Henco van Wyk is back with a bang
VIDEO: Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen and captain Marius Louw both waxed lyrical about the extraordinary try centre Henco van Wyk scored in their loss against Munster on Saturday.
The Lions succumbed to Munster, going down 10-17 in Limerick.
Van Wyk’s individual tryscoring effort made everyone sit up and take notes. There is no doubt that he is a special talent.
Coach Van Rooyen has long said he believes Van Wyk could potentially be the best player in the world.
The 23-year-old, who attended a Springbok alignment camp earlier this year, had to undergo surgery in April which ruled him out of action for four months.
But the big centre is clearly back and out to show what he can offer.
It was a special effort and a worthy contender for Try of the Year.
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He received the ball from flank Jarod Cairns some 10 metres inside the Munster half of the field. He went on a run, stepping past five players before holding off two more to score a remarkable try in the 28th minute.
It was to be the only try the Lions managed to score on the night.
Louw called Van Wyk a specimen, his coach said he is world-class.
“Henco is a specimen. It takes more than one person to stop that guy, so we try to get the ball to him as early as possible for him to be able to beat his man,” Louw commented.
Van Rooyen added: “His point of difference is his momentum and the ability to beat you and get go-forward.
“[He showed] great effort and determination to go score there. You could see that he kept his leg drive going and kept on working hard.
“It was [a run of] about 25 metres where he shrugged off five or seven people, so great effort from Henco.
“That is his specialty, he is really world-class,” Van Rooyen said.
What happens when Henco van Wyk smells the braai… ♨️💨#BKTURC #URC | #MUNvLIO pic.twitter.com/rBxQ4t4efn
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) November 30, 2024
The coach rued the chances his side had to make history and win away against Munster, but he said their error rate was just too high in the last half hour of the game.
“We lost the pressure and dominance in the last 20 minutes.
“We know they get really tight if you tend to pick and go, but also the ball was quite wet. To move it isn’t always that easy.
“They also get off the line quite hard because they are so tight.
“I think we lost the battle in the air in the last 20 minutes.”
