Scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl is holding out hope that his performances for English Premiership club Saracens this season has caught the eye of the Springbok selectors.
He has started 22 of his 27 appearances for Sarries in 2022-23, and scored his fifth try of the campaign to help the Londoners claim the Premiership title last week.
The 27-year-old, who recently signed a two-year contract extension, was also announced the Players’ Player of the Year at the club’s annual awards ceremony two weeks ago.
He played the last of his six Tests against Wales at the Millennium Stadium in 2018, and the former Vodacom Bulls halfback shared his national ambitions in a wide-ranging interview on RugbyPass.
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Van Zyl reckons “something miraculous would need to happen” for him to crack the nod for the Bok World Cup squad this year, but said: “The next World Cup is the target. All I can control is to play well and put in big performances.
“Those guys ahead of me have been playing brilliantly but I’m getting closer. All I can do is control my own game. I think winning a trophy with a massive club playing in a very tough league would help get me noticed.”
He added: “I came here [to Saracens] pretty raw. I had spent seven seasons with the Bulls, and you learn to play a certain way in South Africa. It was almost never wet, and the ground was hard.
“The only time I played in the wind was the odd time in Cape Town. I had this idea that I was sharp, but you come here and it’s a different game.
“I wanted to prove that I belonged in that changing room. Now my game is the best it has ever been. I’m so much better technically. I don’t make as many mistakes as I used to. Every part of my game has improved.”
Photo: @Saracens/Twitter