Lions refuse early Boshoff release

In March came the announcement that flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff has signed a two-year deal with Connacht for the 2016/17 season, but it seems like the Golden Lions have refused to grant him an early release to join the Irish club.

"We did try," said Connacht coach Pat Lam.

"They weren’t going to budge there, because Elton Jantjies doesn’t play Currie Cup for them. They've got him there as their safety net at the moment.

"I'm in constant contact with him and we feed him all the stuff that we’re doing, all the plays. So he’s doing a bit of work and he's pretty anxious to get here. He’s looking forward to it."

The setback means Boshoff will only be able to join up with the defending PRO12 champions after the conclusion of this year’s Currie Cup.