Bulls squad dissection

The Bulls is one of the South-African teams who has lost most of their Springboks. Players like Handre Pollard, Jesse Kriel, Duane Vermeulen and Lood de Jager just to name a few, have all left the franchise after the world cup. So the Bulls team who was in a spot of bother decided to bring back some of their legends who knows the club’s DNA. They brought back players like Morné Steyn and Juandré Kruger who was in the team last time they won the trophy. Hopefully these old Players coming back for one final time will learn from Schalk Brits who last year came back and had an amazing season that made him part of the Springbok World-Cup squad.

Players to look out for:

Nafi Tuitavake: He is a young center from Tonga who the Bulls have a lot of faith in to preform this season. He also did make the Tongan world cup squad and played against England but got injured. This promising youngster has a big future in front of him and he will be looking to become one of the competitions leading centers.

Morné Steyn: He is not the most flamboyant 10 in the game, but I don’t think that there is a single flyhalf in the world that can control the game like he can. With his kicks from hand to his distribution of the ball he doesn’t run the ball but that is not what they got him for. He is also not so secure in defence as pollard was but the Bulls previously won Super Rugby with him controlling the game of his boot.

Josh Strauss: He is also one of those players who came back from a stint in the north although his stint was a bit longer than the rest of the players. After playing for Scotland and having a successful career there he decided to come home for one final stint, but this time he is playing in the blue for the Bulls. He will look to help lead the forwards pack after losing Lood de Jager and RG Snyman. They will look for him to be one of the stand out players of the team and take charge up front.

Rosko Specman: Spec Magic as he is known by the sevens circuit is one of the smallest players in comp, but he is definitely one of the players who has the most electrifying feet in the game. On his debut he scored 4 tries against the Stormers. Usually you would think a player coming from sevens would find it difficult to find the gaps in 15’s but he slotted in seamlessly. I think the defending teams will look to shut him of immediately, but if they give him a bit of space to run the ball into, he will exploit their defence.

New players in the team:

Marco Jansen van Vuren (Halfback), Richard Kriel (Fulback), Marnus Potgieter (Outside center), Morné Steyn (Flyhalf), Nafi Tuitavake (Center), Andries Ferreira (Lock), Ian Groenewald (Lock), Wiehahn Herbst (Prop), Juandré Kruger (Lock), Abongile Nonkontwana (Lock), Ryno Pieterse (Lock-Flank), Jeandré Rudolph (Loose Forward), Gerhard Steenkamp (Flanker), Josh Strauss (Loose Forward), Louis van der Westhuizen (Hooker), Wian Vosloo (Flanker).

Players that left the team:

Matthys Basson, Madot Mabokela, Nqoba Mxoli, Conraad van Vuuren, Frans van Wyk, Schalk Brits, Edgar Marutlulle, Lood de Jager, Jason Jenkins, RG Snyman, Hendre Stassen, Thembelani Bholi, Nick de Jager, Carel du Preez, Jannes Kirsten, Paul Schoeman, Roelof Smit, Hanro Liebenberg, Jano Venter, Duane Vermeulen, Theo Maree,  Andre Warner, Marnitz Boshoff, Handre Pollard, Stedman Gans, JT Jackson, Jesse Kriel, Travis Ismaiel, Duncan Matthews.