Bulls' Bomb Squad helping Jake

03/28/2025 11:09 AM

Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White says a 6-2 split between forwards and backs on the bench helps him manage the return of injured players.

Bok lock Ruan Nortje was on Friday named among the substitutes for Saturday's Vodacom URC match against Zebre at Loftus having recovered from a knee injury sustained against the Lions at Ellis Park on 25 January.

White used Nortje to explain why he'd gone for a 6-2 split for a second successive week.

"I'm not a fan of it because it can come back to bite you. The reason for it is that we've got so many forwards coming back from injury and I can't have a situation where I'm forced to put a guy like Ruan Nortje on after five minutes because there's a concussion or a serious injury."

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White said Nortje's return was a huge boost for the Bulls, who travel to Bayonne for a round-of-16 Challenge Cup playoff on 5 April before a tough two-match URC tour of Munster (19 April) and Glasgow (25 April).

"He's very, very special. Just to have him around as captain, just the way he talks, the way he prepares, what he says at meetings  … Already with the lineouts, the confidence he gives the throwers and the lifters.

"Having him on tour just sets the tone for me in terms of things we want to put in place. Like how do you keep 32 guys motivated and happy? So it's not just the rugby. It's wonderful to have him back."

White said Nortje’s introduction against Zebre would depend on the match situation.

"It's not pre-planned so I won't tell you he's going to get 40 minutes or whatever.

"Next week he will maybe be on the bench again, because we've just got to make sure we've got our best available 23 when we get to the backend of the competition," White added.

"That may mean having to make a couple of tough decisions now, like Cameron [Hanekom] not playing tomorrow because I'm not sure he's ready.

"We'll make sure we manage him [Nortje] along the way, so by the time we get to the backend of the competition, hopefully he'll be playing his best rugby."

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Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images

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