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Springbok No.9 Morne van den Berg says he looked up to Ricky Januarie
BIG CHANCE: Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg
Image: BackpagePix
MORNE van den Berg says former Springbok and Stormers scrumhalf Ricky Januarie was one of his ysters growing up.
Van den Berg, 27, will wear the Springboks’ No.9 jersey against the Barbarians on Saturday to make for one half of what has the potential to be an electric halfback combination alongside Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
An exciting scrumhalf, much like Januarie, Van den Berg keeps opponents guessing around the rucks and is one of the ‘busier’ nines in the country.
Tricky Ricky Januarie, of course, was also one of those. Van der Berg, a Lions star, said it’s during Januarie time with the franchise at Ellis Park that he fell in love with his style of play.
Speaking to Sportsboom, Van den Berg said of his heroes growing up: “Definitely at first, my inspiration was Bryan Habana. I think if you watched him, he was just electric.
ORIGINAL YSTER: Bryan Habana
Image: AFP
“And then Fourie du Preez was world-class, one of the best to ever do it.
“And then just, I was a big Lions supporter growing up, so Rickie Januarie, I was also a big fan of him and Andre Pretorius. So they’ve quite shaped my career and are the players that I look up to.”
Saturday’s match does not count towards international caps, with Van den Berg having played two Tests to date.
Stormers scrumhalf Ricky Januarie will make his return to the starting lineup against the Chiefs after a long spell on the bench. IDOL: Ricky Januarie
Image: Archive
With competition fierce for the Bok No.9 jumper, he added: “The dream is to get more caps. But the goal, like I said, is to serve the system. To really work hard, to play every weekend, to make sure that you’re ready for every game.
“At this stage, it’s week by week…”
And this weekend Van den Berg will be looking to make a Habana-esque impression…