'Captain courageous' back in Lions' den
Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:03
In the Lions' den: Wikus van Heerden heads back to Johannesburg
World Cup-winning Springbok Wikus van Heerden has re-signed with the Golden Lions, just days after he announced his departure from English Premiership club Saracens.
The Golden Lions Rugby Union announced on Monday that Van Heerden, a former Lions captain, has signed with the union for two years - from July 1 till 31 October 2012.
Van Heerden, or 'captain courageous' as he was commonly referred to, announced last Friday that he made the 'personal decision' to return home to South Africa early.
He often captained the Guinness Premiership high-flyers and his performances on the pitch, as well as his involvement with the club off it, have been highly praised. Speaking about his decision, Van Heerden insisted that from a rugby perspective he was loving being a part of the Saracens squad, but that he felt that the time was right for him to return home.
He left the Golden Lions at the end of the 2006 Currie Cup competition to join the Bulls - where he won a Super 14 title in 2007 - and thereafter moved to Saracens. He will remain at Saracens until the end of their season, on June 30, before moving back to Johannesburg.
Van Heerden said he is very excited about returning to the Lions.
"Since my time at the Lions I have grown as a player and have gathered much experience at both the Bulls and Saracens," Van Heerden said.
"I am hoping to utilize this experience and make an impact when I join the Lions later this year."
GLRU officials said they are "very excited" about signing Van Heerden, who has spent most of his formative rugby career with the Johannesburg-based team.
"It's always good to sign a new player, but when it's a former star player returning, it makes it a little more special, GLRU Chief Executive Manie Reyneke said.
"The return of Wikus is exciting, and we see this as just one more step in the right direction for the GLRU."
Van Heerden, in explaining why he chose the Lions over other teams, said the Johannesburg outfit has always been a "very special" to him.
"I spent nine years at the Lions, before moving over to the Bulls. At that stage I needed a change. With all the changes at the Lions now and with the new people appointed, this is an exciting and ideal opportunity for me to make the most of what is left of my rugby career.
"And who knows, maybe I can be a part of a winning Super 14 or Currie Cup team while at the Lions."
Van Heerden will join the Lions ahead of the 2010 Currie Cup, where he is expected to be a regular in the starting 15.
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