Ivan van Rooyen is deliberately constructing a Lions squad around positional flexibility, and his first two URC wins of the season — against Leinster and the Ospreys — are giving him early proof of concept. The piece examines how Van Rooyen used Quan Horn at left wing rather than fullback when injuries forced his hand, and how he views that kind of adaptability as a deliberate development tool rather than a stopgap. He wants locks covering blindside, eights covering six, and backs who can shift between wing and centre — and he believes the Lions have genuine options to do it. JC Pretorius, Siba Mahashe, Erich Cronje and Kelly Mpeku are all identified as players who fit that multi-position mould. The Rassie parallel is explicit: Van Rooyen is applying the same squad-building philosophy that has defined the Springboks' World Cup cycles to franchise level.
Lions building a hybrid-player squad — and Van Rooyen thinks it's the future of rugby
Van Rooyen is building the Lions around positional versatility — deliberately mirroring Rassie's hybrid-player philosophy — and the opening two URC wins are early validation of the approach.
- Ivan van Rooyen
- Emirates Lions
- United Rugby Championship
- Quan Horn
- JC Pretorius
- Rassie Erasmus
- Springboks
Springbok Recall! Relive Phepsi Buthelezi's 2025/26 Season
#SharksRugby #PhepsiButhelezi #Springboks
Van Rooyen finds silver linings after Lions' 59-10 playoff hammering by Leinster
Ivan van Rooyen says kicking errors gifted Leinster the platform for a 59-10 demolition of the Lions in their debut URC playoff appearance, but pointed to the squad's youth and growing Springbok presence as grounds for optimism heading into the off-season.
What Bordeaux's Champions Cup demolition of Leinster means for SA's URC finals hopes
Rich uses Bordeaux's physical demolition of Leinster as a lens on SA's URC finals prospects — arguing the Stormers cost themselves and their SA counterparts dearly by failing to secure second place, while flagging a scrumhalf depth problem that extends beyond the URC and straight into Erasmus's Bok planning.
Stephen Donald: Robertson copied the Boks — Rennie must go back to All Blacks DNA
Stephen Donald backs Hansen's anti-copycat argument, saying Robertson erred by chasing the Springbok blueprint rather than New Zealand's tempo-based strengths — and expects Rennie to correct that course ahead of a blockbuster four-Test series in South Africa.
Steyn backs Smith as SA's best flyhalf — and wants Erasmus to notice
Steyn names Chris Smith the best flyhalf in South Africa and flags his Bok omission as a missed opportunity, while the Lions coaching staff acknowledge they need sharper execution against Leinster's linespeed in their URC quarterfinal.