Lions’ Carlu Sadie has one eye on Springbok spot with World Cup on the horizon

Johannesburg – With the 2023 World Cup building a head of steam in the background this year, there will be some fierce competition around to snaffle up any chance to play for the Springboks and stake a claim for the showpiece event to be held in France next year.

For the most part, the usual suspects that will be selected by head coach Jacques Nienaber are known, but that doesn’t exclude the possibility that a player here or there can insert themselves into the picture with consistent showings in the next few months.

One of those players that might be on the fringes of the Bok think-tank, is Lions prop Carlu Sadie. Make no mistake, if he is to break into the senior national team, the tighthead is going to have to graft hard in the coming months. After all, he has some stiff competition to overcome if he is to even get a sniff of the No 3 jumper in a year where experimentation within the Bok squad could be the name of the game.

Lest we forget, tighthead has such luminaries as Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, Trevor Nyakanye and Thomas du Toit within the Bok setup. Sadie has been one of the standout performers for the Lions in recent seasons with powerful scumming performances that have outclassed more fancied opponents, so while he could be forgiven if he is aiming for higher honours, the former Baby Bok has only one team on his mind.

“My mindset is just to do my best for the Lions at this moment,” Sadie said in an interview with IOL on Wednesday.

“When it comes to the Springboks, I know that there are a lot of quality tightheads out there. For me, it is being focused on what is in front of me now.

“For the Bok role to be filled at tighthead prop, you need an overall game. It comes down to scrumming, tackling, carrying the