The benefits of Bulls’ recruitment drive

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Springbok veteran Morne Steyn’s arrival in the Bulls camp just showed the incredible depth at the franchise, according to captain Marcell Coetzee.

Steyn joined the Bulls’ United Rugby Championship squad on Tuesday, after flyhalf Johan Goosen returned to South Africa due to a knee injury.

Goosen injured his knee during Saturday’s win over Cardiff Blues.

The 29-year-old left the field in the first half and was replaced by Chris Smith.

The former Pumas flyhalf Smith delivered an incredible performance, dictating much of the play and scoring 19 points during the 29-19 victory.

Smith’s display has certainly made his case stronger for the No.10 jersey.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday,  Bulls captain Coetzee said Goosen’s injury is an incredible setback.

However, he conceded having the likes of Smith and Bok veteran Steyn as backup options show the incredible squad depth under the guidance of the Director of Rugby Jake White.

“Goosie [Johan Goosen] is a character off the field and a good leader on it, so it is a big blow for us,” Coetzee said.

“There’s no clarity yet on how serious the injury is. He’ll only find out back in South Africa.

“We’re just hoping he gets the care he deserves.

“Having said that, Chris Smith showed his character and resilience when he replaced Johan.

“I personally thought he had a brilliant game and really played a vital role in us turning the tide."

He added: “Now we have Morne here. We all know Morne is an absolute legend.

“He will bring that extra energy and enthusiasm going into the final game.

"He has fantastic experience that you just can’t buy.

“It just illustrated the depth we have at our disposal,”

Euro Tempo

Coetzee was part of White’s recruitment drive. The loose forward joined the Bulls in April 2021 from Ulster.

He played at the Irish side for five years and have great insight regarding their upcoming opponents Edinburgh.

“Edinburgh has a very good set-piece foundation which they want to play off whether it is scrums or line-outs and they got a good kicking game.

“But what I've noticed from last weekend [against Stormers] they have added a lot of tempo to their game, so it is definitely something Gregor Townsend has implemented in the Scottish teams.

“[European] teams want to take on South Africans sides with tempo because we are not used to the circumstances abroad, but the way we have to adapt it that is just to shut it down,”

When asked about the mood in the camp, Coetzee said: “It is a bit more positive.

“The results didn’t go our way the previous two weeks [defeats to Leinster and Connacht] and we are a team that pride ourselves with high standards and we want to consistently in winning wherever we play,”

Bulls will conclude their four-week tour against Edinburgh on Saturday, October 16.