Sangweni believes that the Lions are a lot more prepared for the challenge of the URC this season.

The  https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/rugby/lions-aiming-build-solid-first-season-urc/" rel="nofollow - Lions ‘ exciting up and coming loose forward talent Sibusiso Sangweni is ready to step out of the shadow of  https://www.citizen.co.za/sport/rugby/vincent-tshituka-opens-up-about-sharks-move-i-want-to-be-the-best-among-the-best/" rel="nofollow - Vincent Tshituka  and shine on his own during the second season of the  https://www.unitedrugby.com/latest" rel="nofollow - United Rugby Championship  (URC) which kicks off this weekend.

Sangweni was a regular feature in the Lions URC squad over last season, but found his chances limited, with him often challenging star player Tshituka for a spot on the side of the scrum.

With Tshituka having moved to the Sharks, Sangweni should now get more chances in the URC and he will be eager to stamp his authority and seal his spot in the starting line-up.

The Lions have enjoyed a good build up to this season’s competition, while Sangweni has impressed in a few warm up games, including scoring a couple of tries in a thrilling try fest against the Sharks last weekend.

“It has been good to kind of set a foundation for the season and see where I am after the past 11 weeks of preseason.  Hopefully this season I can get more chances to showcase and express myself and put myself out there,” said Sangweni.

“Last season I wasn’t really living in his (Tshituka’s) shadow, but it was quite tough competing with each other every week. So hopefully I can get more chances to play and show what I can do, which I am looking forward to.”

Better prepared

Sangweni believes that the Lions are a lot more prepared for the challenge of the URC this season than they were heading into last season, and believes that will assist them from the start this campaign.

“Last season was like swimming in unknown waters, you just didn’t know what to expect. You are not sure how to analyse and prep for the teams, which was tricky,” explained Sangweni.

“But now we’ve played them, we know what kind of game they play and what to expect. We know that the weather conditions play a big role, especially when we are touring.

“We know it’s going to be very cold and rainy that side. So we know what to prep for, how to train for that and we know what kind of battle we are going into this time around.”