BY SPORTSCAST WRITER
HARARE – Lions’ Zimbabwean lock Darrien Landsberg has been approached with an offer to represent his country of birth, but is very keen on playing for the Springboks.
Harare-born Landsberg (26) was raised in South Africa and attended Northcliff High School in Johannesburg.
Zimbabwe – who are aiming to qualify for their first World Cup since 1991 – have been keeping track on the tall Lions enforcer with the hope of bolstering their squad for next year’s crunch qualifiers.
“He has been spoken to by Zimbabwe’s coaching staff, but he is still trying to make the Springboks,” an insider told SportsCast on Tuesday.
“At present, he is even more confident of Bok selection because he had a very good Currie Cup season.”
Johannesburg side Lions were on the cusp of Currie Cup glory in September but lost a dramatic final to Sharks, 16-14, at Ellis Park.
Ivan van Rooyen’s men have also started the United Rugby Championship on a bright note, winning their first two games at home against Edinburgh and Ulster, with Landsberg starting both ties as he often did during the Currie Cup.
The Sables have identified the second row as an area needing major reinforcement ahead of next year’s final qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup, prompting the pursuit of such bruisers as Landsberg and Eli Snyman of Italian side Benetton.
While the 28-year-old Snyman is reportedly eager to return home to finally play Test rugby, the Sables will continue to monitor Landsberg and likely put another bid if a South Africa call-up doesn’t materialise in the next eight months.
At Lions, Landsberg is teammates with Zimbabwe backline ace Tapiwa Mafura, who was also born in Harare and grew up in South Africa.
