Emirates Lions scrumhalf Morné van den Berg continues to live his passion for his team as he chases his biggest rugby dreams.
It is not too hard to imagine that every single time Morné van den Berg pulls on an Emirates Lions jersey, he’s taking himself back to being a young boy in the stands at Emirates Airline Park watching the then giants of this team and dreaming of doing the same.
That dream still burns with as much fire as it did back then for a scrumhalf who in this Vodacom United Rugby Championship season has raised his game even higher and is chasing a return to the Springbok fold.
Deep passion for Lions rugby
And it all starts with the deep passion he has for Emirates Lions rugby.
“Some of my first rugby memories are at Ellis Park. My grandfather worked there. He started as a guard in the tunnel and then started working in the ticket office. I watched so much rugby there together with him, my father and my brother,” says Van Den Berg.
“I think it gave me the chance to dream very early on. It put that dream in my heart. I just remember seeing these men playing their hearts out on the field. They were fast and strong, and I grew up with that dream of doing the same. It was a very special time together – all of us watching the game. Watching games there, and then playing with a rugby ball in the garden with my brothers, are some of my earliest rugby memories. Lions rugby is very deep in my heart.
“Rugby connects every single area of my life. It connects my faith through the talent that I’ve been given. It connects what has been a lifelong dream for me to play this game. And it connects the amazing friendships I’ve made through the game. Rugby is a very big and important part of my life.”
Springbok dreams
It’s from those Lions dreams that Van Den Berg rose to become only the third Springbok out of Hoërskool Linden with his two Test caps in 2024, following in the footsteps of Thinus Delport and Jean Kleyn.
“It’s an honour for me to be the third Springbok to come out of Hoërskool Linden. I met Thinus Delport when we were in Wales about two years ago, and Jean was actually my Matric when I was at school. Jean was an impressive person then already. It’s very special for me to be a part of this trio.
“Any time you’re involved with the Springboks it’s a massive honour. It reminds you just how much you want to be a part of that group and that system, and how much you want to serve that Springbok badge. It’s where my focus now lies. I just want to be focused on giving the Lions my best performance and trying to make the Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoffs, and then it’s my dream to pull on that Springbok jersey once again and serve that system.”
Test-level quality in the VURC
The Vodacom United Rugby Championship has certainly given Van Den Berg every opportunity to play his way back into the Springbok number nine jersey, and he’s in no doubt as to the quality of the competition.
“What makes the Vodacom United Rugby Championship such a great competition is that you play so many different games. One weekend you’re playing at Emirates Airline Park at altitude and in the heat, and a weekend later you’re in Europe in autumn, then you’re back in South Africa in the heat of December playing a very physical South African team, then you travel back to Europe to take on a team like Munster that is extremely well drilled in attack and distribution, then you’re back in South Africa playing derbies that are high pressure and physical, and again back to Europe to play on artificial grass in the cold and wind and rain. You get challenged in so many circumstances and environments. You’re also playing teams that have Test players in them, and against so many youngsters that are putting up their hands every single week. You’re up against that experienced Test player but then also these young players who are desperate and hungry to prove themselves. It’s an incredible challenge all around.”
And he’s used this competition to grow his game even further this season.
Growth this season
“I think the biggest growth in my game this season has been a better understanding of my position, especially the momentum and space involved and how to better implement this. For example, if the momentum in a game starts to turn against us, how to be able to use my position to stop that and win it back for us. I haven’t always been successful at it, but it’s been my biggest learning curve this season. But to do well you need your team, especially as a scrumhalf. As a team we play for each other.”
That young boy sitting in the stands with his family is never very far away from Van Den Berg’s mind, and so too the lessons that boy’s journey can teach.
“I think that if you’ve got that dream in your heart and you’re prepared to work for it, and you’ve been given that talent, then it’s up to you, because anything is possible.”
