Vodacom Bulls and Springbok loosehead prop returns from surgery to the Bulls for the URC campaign

Vodacom Bulls and Springbok loosehead prop Gerhard Steenekamp says he is ready to return to the rugby field. SIMON BORCHARDT reports

The 28-year-old underwent surgery after the Boks’ 2024 end-of-year tour to clean up cartilage in his knee, but complications with infection extended his recovery period and he has not played since coming off the bench against Wales on 23 November.

“There was no injury as such; rather I needed to sort out loose cartilage and have it scraped,” he told reporters . “The plan was to clean it, but then I got an infection, which was a problem

Staying positive through that period was tough, but Steenekamp had support.

It was difficult, but my wife and kids helped plenty. You can control what you can control. I learned to stay positive and enjoyed the extra time at home with my family.”

While he was able to walk soon after surgery, it took two months after the infection before he could run again.

Steenekamp has now been training with the Bulls for the past six weeks and says he feels confident heading into the new Vodacom URC season.

“[The knee] felt good [when returning to training], but match fitness takes time,” he said. “The body is strong, and I’m happy where I’m at, a long way from a month ago. I’m ready.”∞

As for whether he can force his way back into the Bok squad for the November tour and add to his 11 Test caps, Steenekamp insists his focus is on the Bulls.

“For the moment I’m just happy to be playing rugby and doing my best for the Bulls. If [Bok selection] happens, it happens. I’ll work hard and hopefully have enough game time to reach Test match level.”

The Bulls open their URC campaign against the Ospreys at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.