Golden Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen is looking forward to young tighthead prop Stephen Bhasera’s debut against Free State at Ellis Park on Saturday.

The 22-year-old was born in Kadoma, Zimbabwe, and attended Falcon College where he passed his Cambridge University entrance exams in geography‚ English literature and history. He captained Zimbabwe at the U18 Craven Week in 2014.

‘I am very excited about him,’ Van Rooyen told reporters. ‘He is probably among the top five most intelligent people I have met in my life.

‘He is very intelligent, which is nice because it brings a different flavour to the team and the dressing room, which is awesome.

‘It is a great opportunity for Stephen and I am really excited about him.’

Lions lock Marvin Orie, who will captain the side for the second time on Saturday, says he has enjoyed interacting with Bhasera off the field.

‘I am a part-time student as well,’ said Orie. ‘It is fantastic for me to have a guy like Stephen, because he is challenging us.

‘The conversations are quite intelligent which is fantastic for all of us.’