Ken Borland

The Bulls will once again be led by Nizaam Carr from eighthman and coach Jake White said he is excited by the attacking possibilities of the “athletic” team he has chosen to open their Rainbow Cup campaign against the Lions at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

The Lions have traditionally enjoyed moving the ball wide and White on Friday announced a team to ensure that they are not stretched to breaking by their Gauteng rivals on Saturday.

“Obviously guys like Duane Vermeulen and Trevor Nyakane are not available because they are having their one-week off as requested by the Springboks, and Stedman Gans has joined the Sevens camp, but it’s quite an athletic team we’ve chosen. Prop Gerhard Steenekamp was an eighthman at school, Johan Grobbelaar and Mornay Smith are both mobile, we have two ligther locks together [Ruan Nortje & Janko Swanepoel] and Nizaam Carr is at eight.

“There are good athletes in this side and ball-players, and hopefully the sun comes out on Saturday and it’s dry. If we play the way we can, then we can keep the ball alive for long periods and get some nice attacking rugby going,” White said on Friday.

The well-travelled coach said he was disappointed that the Rainbow Cup would no longer have an overseas component, but that another double round of local derbies will allow him to work more on his combinations for later in the year.

“It’s disappointing for me that we won’t be going to Europe because I wold like to see different opposition. But one year ago we weren’t playing rugby at all, so let’s rather play each other again than nothing at all. It’s not first prize but at least we are playing rugby. We want to keep winning and keep our momentum going, keep growing as a team.

“We have three Springboks on the bench this weekend because I want to challenge the players and it’s nice to see other combinations. From our perspective it would get a bit boring just to play the same old guys over and over, and when we lose players to the Springboks or we’re playing in the rain, we need to see what combinations are suitable,” White said.

Bulls: James Verity-Amm, Madosh Tambwe, Marco Jansen van Vuren, Cornal Hendricks, Stravino Jacobs, Chris Smith, Embrose Papier, Nizaam Carr, Elrigh Louw, Marco van Staden, Ruan Nortje, Janko Swanepoel, Mornay Smith, Johan Grobbelaar, Gerhard Steenekamp. Bench – Joe van Zyl, Lizo Gqoboka, Jacques van Rooyen, Walt Steenkamp, Arno Botha, Zak Burger, Morné Steyn, David Kriel.

Loftus Versfeld used to be the home of 10-man rugby when Naas Botha was bossing the game in the 1970s/80s, but the intervening years have seen that approach all but die out and Jake White’s arrival in Pretoria has seen the Bulls use their backline with greater effectiveness than has been seen for many years. But against the Lions in the opening round of the Rainbow Cup on Saturday, there is a possibility that the home side will be playing a more conservative brand of rugby.

Not only have the Bulls been training for European conditions up until two weeks ago, but the Lions are also known to favour a more expansive, high-tempo game-plan. So it makes sense for the Bulls to force the Lions into a tight, physical contest that requires them to put their bodies on the line, and to force them back into their own territory with a strong kicking game.

“It’s definitely going to be a physical battle up front, we all know the Lions like to play with a lot of width. We have a great game-plan and if we stick to that then it will all work out, even though the Lions know exactly what we will bring. We kicked a lot on the Lions when we played them before and that’s something we can target because we have big wings that can contest,” scrumhalf Embrose Papier said this week with resonant tones of intimidation.

Having burst on the scene in 2018 as a potentially world-class scrumhalf, Papier’s fortunes took a dip in 2019 as he was left out of the Springbok squad. But the 24-year-old says the presence of Fourie du Preez, a towering presence in both Bulls and Springbok rugby, at Loftus Versfeld has been helping him a lot.

In 2019 he seemed to be at the rear of the Bulls’ No.9 pecking order behind Ivan van Zyl and Andre Warner, but now, especially with Van Zyl heading to Saracens at the end of June, Papier could well be celebrating a return to the Springbok squad given his resurgence in the last year.

“It’s been a dream to work with Fourie and my game-management, passing and kicking have all improved a lot. I’m working very hard and I learn something new every day, and I still dream of playing for the Bokke, that’s definitely a goal. But if I play good rugby through the year then that will be rewarded, so I’m just taking it step by step,” Papier said.

Loftus Versfeld has been a busy check-in, check out counter this week as Springbok flank Marcell Coetzee arrived for duty with the Bulls, on the same day that the departure of loose forward Tim Agaba, the former Springbok Sevens representative, was confirmed.

Coetzee has been a phenomenal performer for Ulster, when fit, over the last five years and was recently named the Pro14 Players’ Player of the Season. The 29-year-old is currently recovering from a hamstring injury but will certainly have his eye on a return to the Springbok loose trio for the series against the British and Irish Lions.

The fact that the owner of 30 Springbok caps is considered one of the star signings amongst a host of big names being lured to Loftus Versfeld was shown by the brand new Bulls bakkie that was waiting for Coetzee upon his arrival at his new home.

The 31-year-old Agaba will be playing in the black-and-yellow of the French Second Division side U.S. Carcassonne. He will join the South African contingent of locks – Claude Dry, Rynard ‘Ligtoring’ Landman and Christiaan van der Merwe – at the 122-year-old club that is languishing in the lower reaches of the Pro D2 division in France.

by Guest Correspondent

It seems strange to believe that the powerful 1.86m, 90kg winger Madosh Tambwe, who once scored a Vodacom Super Rugby record-equalling four tries in one match, was completely surprised when he received a phone call from Bulls coach Jake White, inviting him to join the Pretoria team.

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“Receiving a phone call from Jake was quite a surprise. I never expected a call from him, and then I also wondered how he’d even got my number,” Tambwe says with a laugh.

The reality is that Tambwe’s life has been full of surprises up to this point of joining one of world rugby’s most celebrated teams.

The 23-year-old forms part of Vodacom’s current focus on the growing crop of ‘Future Champs’ within the Bulls fold.

Born in Kinshasha during the transition of the country from Zaire to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tambwe moved to South Africa with his family and was raised in Johannesburg. In his final years as a student at Parktown Boys’ High and while playing for the Lions U19 team, Tambwe was confronted for the first time by somebody who gave him a dream to aim for.

The Lions U19 coach, Joey Mongalo (who has since also joined the Vodacom Bulls’ senior coaching staff), asked him what he planned to do with his life. It was the spark that put him on his journey to a career as a professional rugby player, and which has seen him play for the Lions, Sharks and now the Vodacom Bulls before the age of 23.

“Being asked what you want to do with your life is a very tricky question because everybody is on a different journey in their lives. But now I’ve been blessed to have played for three great South African franchises. Right now, I’m focused on settling in at the Vodacom Bulls and focusing on my rugby. That’s where my mind is at the moment,” he says.

Tambwe identified himself as a clear ‘Future Champ’ when he equalled the record of four Vodacom Super Rugby tries which he scored in a 2018 match for the Lions against the Stormers. It is this early success in the game that he wants to keep building on as he now pulls on the famed blue jersey of the Bulls.

“I’m privileged to play for the Vodacom Bulls. As I’ve approached everything in my life, I’ll embrace the moment and take it one step at a time and not think too far ahead.”

Tambwe admits he’s already being challenged to grow at the Vodacom Bulls and is relishing this new environment.

“The coaching staff is challenging me quite a bit. Coach Jake wants me to stretch my wings a bit in terms of my positions, and he’s asked me to study fullback as well so I can act as cover for the team in this position. That’s a challenge, and I like that. I’m kept on my toes here, and I’m not being allowed to get too comfortable in just one position.”

And as much as he feels privileged to pull on a Vodacom Bulls jersey, Tambwe is also adamant that he isn’t thinking too far into the future in terms of what it means to play for a union that has produced some of the greatest players in the history of the game.

“It will always be a great responsibility when you put on that Bulls jersey. There’s such a rich history here. But first and foremost, I want to earn my stripes at this union. Only then can I start thinking about the future. Sure, in the back of my mind there is the thought that I want to carry on where some of the greats have left off and I want to also leave something for the next generation of Vodacom Bulls players to build on. But for now, I just want to be the best I can and focus on the next game in front of me.”

His focus matches the entire ethos about what it means to be identified as a Vodacom Future Champ and represent the future of the Bulls.

“I’ve got a great hunger to learn and be better, and I strive to be the best I can be. I’m doing what I love, and every weekend I am able to showcase my talent for people to enjoy. I want to keep getting better so I can add to the proud legacy of this team,” Tambwe says.