Ken Borland

The Bulls have lost a leader in Johan Goosen, but captain Marcell Coetzee said on Tuesday that welcoming the player responsible for the Springboks winning the series against the British and Irish Lions back into the squad can only lift the team as they look to finish their first overseas campaign in the United Rugby Championship on a high against Edinburgh on Saturday.

Morne Steyn arrived in Edinburgh on Tuesday, via an overnight flight from Frankfurt, with the Bulls confirming that flyhalf Goosen was headed in the opposite direction, flying back to South Africa to have scans on the knee he injured in last weekend’s momentous win over the Cardiff Blues.

“Johan is a real character and a good leader in the team, and we are bleeding for him,” Coetzee said. “But now we have Morne here, who won the British and Irish Lions series, he has fantastic experience that you just can’t buy.

“It’s going to be awesome to have him with us this week, what a character he is and a legend of Bulls rugby. He is consistent in all he does and I’m sure he’s going to bring energy and enthusiasm that will lift the team.

“Chris Smith also showed his character and resilience when he replaced Johan, I thought he had an excellent game and he carried that flyhalf mantle really well,” the Springbok loose forward added.

Last weekend’s impressive comeback win against Cardiff was vital for the Bulls after they started the competition with chastening defeats against Leinster and Connacht. It’s their last week on a tough tour to a brand new environment, but Coetzee said the Currie Cup champions are hungry for another win this weekend.

“The mood is a bit more positive now after the win, but we want to be consistent. There’s definitely some new energy, we know it’s our last week on tour and there’s plenty to play for.

“We want that same mindset as in the second half against Cardiff when we gave it everything and the passion and character of the team came out.

“We just want a successful end for the tour, having come into a whole new tournament not knowing what to expect. We are still quite a young group, but we are growing by the day.

“Hopefully things are right now and we must make sure we don’t take a step backwards this weekend. Our performance on Saturday will say a lot about how we have grown as a group and how strong our culture is,” Coetzee said.

It will be all change for the Sharks in both halfback positions as they begin their United Rugby Championship campaign overseas, following the announcement on Friday of their touring squad that is without Lionel Cronje but includes two scrumhalves on loan from the Free State.

The 32-year-old Cronje was on a short-term loan to the Sharks from Toyota Verblitz in Japan for the duration of the Currie Cup and his arrival saw coach Sean Everitt shift Curwin Bosch from flyhalf to fullback.

But Cronje’s departure means Bosch is likely to return to the number 10 jersey in which Everitt backed him so strongly before the Currie Cup. Boeta Chamberlain is the only other specialist flyhalf in the squad.

Veteran Springbok Ruan Pienaar has returned to the Sharks on loan from the Cheetahs and has moved to flyhalf quite often during games for Free State, but with the Sharks suffering an injury crisis at scrumhalf, Pienaar is likely to be backing up Sanele Nohamba. Tian Meyer has also made the trip from Bloemfontein to Durban on loan.

Everitt will be pleased to have locks Hyron Andrews and Ruben van Heerden back from injury, which will add depth to a crucial position that already features Gerbrandt Grobler, Le Roux Roets and Reniel Hugo.

Eighthman Phepsi Buthelezi will lead a squad that will relish taking on some fresh opposition, having butted heads many times back home with the Bulls and taking a severe beating in the Currie Cup final last weekend.

“The boys are up for the challenge, we have some experienced players who have played in the Pro16 before and have had a taste of European conditions, and we have coaching staff who have coached at the highest level. We’re all confident that we can do well overseas, we’ve taken a young squad mixed with some older heads with experience.
“It will be exciting to see what these guys can deliver against opposition that we don’t see too often, nor play against. The boys are excited about experiencing a new competition, the URC is a tough tournament that brings in new challenges and different opposition, but the guys are up for the challenge after a very good Currie Cup and a good year,” Everitt said.

Squad: Anthony Volmink, Yaw Penxe, Thaakir Abrahams, Marnus Potgieter, Werner Kok, Marius Louw, Jeremy Ward, Murray Koster, Rynhardt Jonker, Curwin Bosch, Boeta Chamberlain, Sanele Nohamba, Ruan Pienaar, Tian Meyer, Phepsi Buthelezi, Henco Venter, Thembelani Bholi, Celimpilo Gumede, Dylan Richardson, James Venter, Gerbrandt Grobler, Hyron Andrews, Le Roux Roets, Reniel Hugo, Ruben van Heerden, Thomas du Toit, Khutha Mchunu, Lourens Adriaanse, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Wiehahn Herbst, Khwezi Mona, Kerron van Vurren, Fez Mbatha, Dan Jooste.

The Springboks are fielding a much-changed line-up to open their Rugby Championship campaign against Argentina at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday. The Pumas will be formidable opponents with all their foreign-based players in tow and looking to build on their brilliant tournament last year when their only loss came to the All Blacks, who they had beaten in their first meeting.

So the Springboks are going to have to be on top of their games to beat Argentina. Here are four players coming into the starting team who they will be relying on to do the business on Saturday.

Francois Steyn – The veteran inside centre steps into the No.12 jersey in which Damian de Allende was one of the integral parts of South Africa’s victory over the British and Irish Lions. Steyn will undoubtedly bring a similarly no-nonsense approach to this channel. His booming boot will also be an asset, especially with the new 50/22 trial law in place.

Damian Willemse – The 23-year-old is well-known for his breadth of skills and now he will be starting at fullback, where he has played most of his recent rugby. A dazzling attacking player, whether the Springboks will be able to play with much width remains to be seen. Willemse’s reading of the game and positional play will be more important, and he will be looking to take a leaf out of Willie le Roux’s book in terms of work-rate and his covering play.

Elton Jantjies – The series against the British and Irish Lions was often a laborious affair with the tourists trying to take on the Springboks at their own game, with defences and kicking games predominating. But the Rugby Championship is a Southern Hemisphere competition and has a tradition of more positive rugby being played. Jantjies is just the sort of flyhalf who could prosper. He has grown up playing a fast-paced, expansive game with the local Lions and has the ability to spark the backline. His sharp kicking game can also be a factor.

Kwagga Smith – Given Argentina’s fondness for groping around in the rucks, Smith, as the quickest of the loose forwards, is going to have a key role to play in protecting South Africa’s ball at the breakdowns. The Pumas are past-masters at slowing down and disrupting possession, so if Smith can help the Springboks get quick ball then he might also be able to play more of a hand in attack, where his Sevens skills can obviously come to the fore.

While the Sharks team will certainly miss their nine Springboks who are away in the national camp in Bloemfontein, the fact that they will still field a very competitive outfit for the Currie Cup, as shown in the squad chosen to open their campaign against Griquas in Kimberley on Saturday, indicates that coach Sean Everitt has hit the bullseye when it comes to building the franchise’s depth.

Star flyhalf Curwin Bosch may be resting, but hooker Fez Mbatha and scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse were part of the Springboks’ alignment camps, the old second-row pairing of Ruben van Heerden and Hyron Andrews has been reunited, and James Venter, Thembelani Bholi and the in-form Phepsi Buthelezi comprise an excellent loose trio. Centres Marius Louw and Jeremy Ward are a seasoned combination and Springbok Sevens star Werner Kok is on the wing.

“The Preparation Series was a massive boost for us because we were able to juggle two teams, which showed we had confidence in all the players and we were able to look after the guys who have a massive load. In the last year, guys like Fez Mbatha, JJ van der Mescht, Phepsi Buthelezi and Jaden Hendrikse have all come through and had opportunity at senior level.

“It now seems like they have been around for a while and they have had exposure to senior rugby. We have confidence in their ability, our juniors are the best in their positions in the country, and it is a well-rounded squad with the addition of guys like Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw and Boeta Chamberlain. Plus Henco Venter still has to come in,” Everitt said.

And even now as they go in search of the elusive trophy you would have bet the Sharks would have grabbed by now before the arrival of Covid and Jake White at the Bulls, Everitt still has his eye on the greater squad as a whole, particularly with the South African franchises heading into the unknown in Europe.

“You can look at the Currie Cup both ways, obviously we want to win it, make no mistake, but it’s about growing our squad too. There’s not going to be time for any pre-season before we play in Europe, so that’s 11 rounds of Pro16 we have to get through and we won’t have our Springboks back until probably January.

“To win the Currie Cup, we have to be more accurate, we have to be able to really squeeze the opposition and not give them anything. Those are issues we can rectify,” Everitt said.

Sharks – Manie Libbok, Werner Kok, Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw, Anthony Volmink, Boeta Chamberlain, Jaden Hendrikse, Phepsi Buthelezi (c), Thembelani Bholi, James Venter, Hyron Andrews, Ruben van Heerden, Khutha Mchunu, Fez Mbatha, Khwezi Mona. Bench: Kerron van Vuuren, Mzamo Majola, Wiehahn Herbst, JJ van der Mescht, Reniel Hugo, Mpilo Gumede, Grant Williams, Marnus Potgieter.