No more excuses: Lions must deliver, says Henco van Wyk
Lions star Henco van Wyk pulls no punches as he demands results, opens up about his injury struggles, and reaffirms his Bok dreams ahead of the Challenge Cup.
“There are no more excuses,” star Lions midfielder Henco van Wyk insists ahead of his team's Challenge Cup opener against the Ospreys in Swansea.
The Lions, who last season came tantalisingly close to reaching the play-offs in the United Rugby Championship, are yet to play in the knockout rounds but Van Wyk told the hosts of popular rugby podcast, 'To The Last Drop', they need to deliver better returns this season.
He explained they have a settled group of players and have no reason not to improve this season.
The star centre, who dodged six Munster defenders en route to the tryline last week, said on this week's 'To The Last Drop' his effort carried an element of luck.
Van Wyk, who is back after another lengthy spell on the sidelines, explained while time out injured can take an emotional toll, he has learned to deal with it.
Though the midfield queue is long, Van Wyk explained his desire to play for the Springboks remains undiminished.
Listen to the latest 'To the Last Drop' below. You’ll find the Van Wyk interview at 01:48.
About the 'To The Last Drop' podcast hosts
Liam Del Carme
Liam is one of the country's most enduring sports writers. His time in the newsrooms pre-dates rugby turning professional in the 1990s. Del Carme has been in the employ of broadsheet newspapers The Argus, Sunday Independent, This Day and Beeld, and is currently the rugby writer at The Sunday Times. Del Carme has reported at six Rugby World Cups and around 20 Currie Cup finals.
He loves cooking and travel and is the author of the book 'WINGING IT – On tour with the Boks'. When time allows, he is a television pundit and writes a regular column on timeslive.co.za under the title ‘The Worst of Times’.
Brenden Nel
Rugby has always been a passion for Brenden, so much so that he made it a career. Since first entering a newsroom at the Citizen almost three decades ago, he has written for some of the biggest titles in the world, including Rapport, the Independent (UK), The Times (UK), South China Morning Post and a host of others. Currently, he covers all things rugby for Supersport.com and has reported on no less than four World Cups, five Sevens World Cups and around 250 test matches in total.
Brenden is also the author of "Derick Hougaard - Dieware storie van Loftus se Liefling” and has a popular YouTube channel under his name. He loves nothing more when away from the game than a glass of good red wine, a good fire and spending time with his wife and four rescue dogs.
Listen to previous episodes via the full 'To the Last Drop' channel below: