Erik Lambrecht is loving his impact role after making his Carling Currie Cup Premier Division debut off the replacement bench in Sanlam Boland Kavaliers’ convincing 29-10 win over the Fidelity ADT Lions.
Since that win, Lambrecht, schooled at famous rugby school Boland Landbou, has made three appearances off the bench as the Kavas downed the Vodacom Bulls 28-20 in Round Four and Airlink Pumas 29-26 in this past weekend’s Round Five clash in Mbombela.
The win over the Pumas was Boland’s first Carling Currie Cup away win of the season and one that cemented their place in the Currie Cup semi-finals after fighting back from trailing by 21-3 at halftime at the Mbombela stadium.
With Boland under pressure, coach Hawies Fourie decided to substitute Lambrecht, and the former Bredasdorp Rangers Rugby Club centre player made an immediate impact after breaking the Pumas’ defensive line to set up a try for winger Xavier Mitchell.
Lambrecht did not stop there as he made several impactful attacking runs while also staying solid in defence as the Kavas shut down the Pumas’ attack in the second half. His contribution in Mbombela helped the Kavas reach their early target of qualifying for this season’s Currie Cup semi-finals.
“There was not a direct message from coach Hawies of what my role should be when I get onto the field,” Lambrecht said when asked what Sanlam Boland Kavaliers’ head coach, Hawies Fourie’s message to him was before taking to the field.
“I just knew that coming on off the bench, I have to go out there and make a difference.
“Sometimes you just get that one opportunity and you have to go out and use it. And the guys know I am someone who will always give my 120 per cent and come and make a difference.”
The midfielder also revealed that his role in the Kavas setup is not just that of impact in the backline, but as a hybrid player – much like Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen – that can be utilised as a sixth loose-forward.
But Lambrecht admits it is a role that can be challenging and explains: “It’s always a tough challenge to get yourself mentally up for a game, especially with coach Hawies’ plans of not knowing whether I will be going on in the backline or as flanker.
“But I try and stick to my pre-match routines of keeping things very simple.”
Part of the 24-year-old’s game-ready rituals, he reveals, is trying to watch as much rugby as possible, whether it is watching some club rugby or even early morning international rugby games.
“It just calms me and relaxes me, and then I will also watch old highlight reels of myself playing just to tell myself: ‘I know what to do and that I can play rugby, and you must just go out there and express yourself and tell yourself you are the best guy in that position’,” Lambrecht reveals.
“To play with guys like Xavier Mitchell, Ashlon Davids, Juan Mostert, and David Brits is a privilege.
“Mossie (Mostert), I know from my playing days at school, he is a good ball distributor, and I just love running off his shoulder. Ashlon is our [main] general; he leads us game in and out, he brings calmness and has a lot of time on the ball.
“Xavier, we all know, is the man with that pace on the outside, and it is just important to get the ball to him. I am also getting to learn a lot from David with his Sevens rugby experience. So, it is amazing to get to play with all of them.
“One of my goals was just to be part of the 2025 team that will take part in the Currie Cup Premier Division. We are busy making a name for ourselves, and it is definitely one of my biggest career highlights to be part of this group.”