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Lions retain faith in home-grown model with signing of prominent schoolboy

The Lions might've been hit hard by defections on last week's infamous "deadline day", frustratingly losing three home-grown talents in Malcolm Marx, Ruan Vermaak and Tyrone Green.

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But that's not preventing the men from Ellis Park from steadfastly still tapping into their pipeline for future talent.

Heiko Pohlmann's recruitment exemplifies that drive.

The powerful, fleet-footed prop's representatives, In Touch Sports, on Tuesday confirmed that the matriculant from Monument in Krugersdorp will be appearing in red-and-white after signing his first professional contract.

Pohlmann, who appeared for the Golden Lions XV in last year's Craven Week, was a shoo-in for the main squad at this year's cancelled tournament, with some observers even claiming he'd stake a huge claim for selection for the SA Schools team.

He was also called up to SA Rugby's Elite Player Development camp for Under-17s in Wellington last year.

While the Lions currently still have three senior tightheads on their books - Carlu Sadie, Jannie du Plessis and Johannes Jonker - Pohlmann could still be fast-tracked for senior rugby in future, particularly with Du Plessis not being a long-term option and Jonker struggling to make a consistent impact.

The fact that he has been able to secure a contract despite unions overall drastically cutting their amount of junior agreements in the recent past also points to his potential importance.

- Compiled by Sport24 staff   

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